Forgotten Heroine
by lightbird
Summary: [AU] Complete, but being reworked under a new title as I wasn't happy with the way it turned out. [COMPLETE]
1. The Sentence

Disclaimer: Everything from the Disney movie belongs to Disney. Everything else belongs to me.

Summary: What if, despite the fact that Mulan saved China, the Emperor had still demanded that she be executed? What if she escaped? And what if Shang was the one who was sent to find her and kill her? What would he do?

**xxxxxxx**

**Forgotten Heroine by lightbird**

**Chapter 1: The Sentence**

As the fireworks exploded and the flames began to envelop the roof of the palace Mulan slid down the rope with the lanterns, letting go as she approached the ground and landing on Shang who had been running out of the palace. They both fell to the ground.

"Where is she? Look at this mess!" Chi Fu griped, coming down the stairs from the palace entrance.

She began to back up toward the three men that had ended up being her friends, Yao, Ling and Chien-Po. They moved forward to protect her.

"Step aside! That creature is not worth protecting!"

Chien-Po pushed her behind him. Shang stood in between them and Chi Fu, looking angry. He was about to speak to Chi Fu but he was interrupted.

"Enough of this."

It was the Emperor. He came down the stairs, stopping a few steps above the platform. He gestured for Shang and her three friends to step aside. They couldn't do anything but obey. Mulan stepped forward and bowed before him.

"I've heard a great deal about you from Chi Fu, Fa Mulan," began the Emperor. "You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated a soldier, deceived your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese army, destroyed my palace, AND…you have committed high treason! I sentence you to be put to death by beheading immediately."

Chi Fu stepped forward and seized her arm with a self-satisfied sneer, ready to escort her to her death. Before he could lead her anywhere, Khan came galloping up to the platform, whinnying ferociously and forcing everyone to jump aside.

"Restrain him!" Chi Fu shouted to Shang, Yao, Ling and Chien-Po, dropping his grip on her arm.

But Shang and her three friends were too stunned to move, and Khan was too determined to be restrained by anyone. The noble steed bucked and knocked everyone out of his way. He stopped alongside of her and Mulan quickly lifted herself onto his back. As soon as she was on him, Khan galloped down the stairs, away from the Imperial Palace, away from Chi Fu and the other men who were attempting to seize her; carrying his little mistress to safety.

Several men in the crowd in the Imperial Square and along the main street tried to get in the way to stop her, but Khan paid no attention to the fact that he was about to trample them. He barreled forward and the men in his path had to jump out of the way.

Shang was standing on the platform, staring after her, looking stupefied.

"Captain Li!"

He turned at the sound of the Emperor's voice. "Yes, your Majesty?"

"Captain Li," the Emperor ordered. "_You_ should lose your head, too, for not executing her when she was revealed! But your father was my bravest and most trusted general; and in honor of him and of his memory, I will give you another chance to carry out your duty. Go after her. I don't care if she is brought back alive or dead. If you bring her back alive, she will be executed here. But if you must execute her out there, then do so and bring her head to me. But do _not_ allow her to escape again. She must be made an example of."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"And Captain, if you do not carry this out, you would be wise to not bother to come back here."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Shang turned and ran for his stallion. He mounted and was about to start off after her.

"One moment, Captain."

Shang turned around as Chi Fu approached him.

"I advised the Emperor that it would be a good idea for me to go with you. And _this_ time I will make sure that you do your duty and carry out the Emperor's law."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang had been able to keep Mulan in sight as she rode off; that is until he was held up by Chi Fu. She had been moving at a thundering pace and Khan was larger and much more powerful than his own stallion. And he had more stamina. But once they finally started off, he pushed his stallion to continue through the night to try to close the distance between them and catch up to her. Chi Fu kept up on his own stallion, complaining all the way. Shang tuned him out.

She was heading south and Shang guessed that she would continue to ride in that direction. It made sense. She was going toward where it was warmer; it would be much easier to survive there than in the harsh winter that was lingering in the north.

He followed Khan's hoof prints into the forest, keeping an eye on the ground. They continued on. Apparently she had not stopped yet.

"Do you have any idea where you are going, Captain? The Emperor will have your head if you let her get away. And _I_ will not be afraid to carry out his order."

"I'm following her horse's hoof prints, Chi Fu. As for her getting away, I was prepared to leave immediately when the Emperor gave his order and would have caught up to her easily. I lost time waiting for you."

The obnoxious man just turned his nose up and sniffed at him.

Shang sighed and rolled his eyes, cursing the Emperor and the fates for this situation and the fact that he had to ride alone with the despicable toad Chi Fu.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan continued to ride all night long and through the next day, trying to put as much distance as she could between her and the Imperial City. She rode south, staying in the forest. Winter hadn't completely ended yet, and it was freezing in the north; not just in the mountain passes but in the lowlands as well. It would be warmer in the south and easier to survive.

She finally stopped early the next evening. Khan had continued steadfastly and nobly, but he needed food, water and rest in order to go further. Once she had stopped, the adrenalin rush wore off and she realized how badly she needed those three things as well. She found a stream deep in the forest and led Khan to drink. She drank the freshwater from the stream, too, nearly choking as she gulped too quickly the much-needed liquid. Leaving Khan to graze, she stripped and waded into the stream, catching a fish for her own dinner. Mushu lit the pile of wood she had gathered and she ate ravenously after the fish was cooked thoroughly.

She found a thick clump of trees far off of the forest path and pitched her tent underneath. Mushu told her that he would keep watch and wake her if anyone was coming. She crawled into the tent and lay down, weary and depressed.

She would never see home or her family again. She felt a dull ache inside of her, weighing on her heart and radiating throughout her entire body. She wanted the tears to come; she knew that they needed to come. But the pain, the sadness wasn't sharp enough for them to come, or even for a lump to begin to form in her throat. She just felt a dull sensation of profound grief that was like a miasma surrounding her.


	2. The Fugitive

**Chapter 2: The Fugitive**

"See, I told you I'd warn you if I heard people. You don't have to worry about stopping to get sleep when you need it," Mushu said as they rode on, continuing south through the forest.

Mulan winced at the throbbing pain that she'd woken up with. It was right at the site of the wound she'd received from Shan-Yu's sword in the Tung Shao Pass, and she was praying that it hadn't opened up again.

"Thanks, Mushu," she answered him distractedly, concerned about the wound. She would have to check it next time she stopped; but for now she had to keep going forward.

"Man, I can't believe it, Mulan! You saved every one of those people from Shan-Yu and the Emperor still wants you executed. You saved _his_ sorry hide, too!"

"Like you said, Mushu, I'm a girl again," she sighed, sadly.

"Yeah, but still. After everything you did…" he trailed off, seeing that he was doing nothing but depressing Mulan even more.

"I don't know what is going to become of me. Maybe I would be better off dead."

"No. What good would that do anyone? Your family would be dishonored and you would be dead."

"My family _is_ dishonored, Mushu. As are every one of my ancestors."

"But at least you're alive. There is always hope when you're alive."

"I can't see any hope. Everything I did was for nothing. I've ruined everything for everyone."

Mushu didn't know how to answer her.

She was silent, deep in thought for a few moments. "But I guess I really don't want to die," she said, finally.

"We'll be with you every step of the way, Mulan. Me, Cri-Kee and Khan."

"Yeah. I'm glad that I at least have three friends in the world. Even if they aren't humans."

Mulan continued on, riding as fast as Khan could go; she didn't know if the Emperor would have bothered to send a search party after her, but she wasn't going to wait to find out.

"So, any idea where we are going?" Mushu asked.

"I don't know. I'm heading south, where it's warm. If I have to live outside for the rest of my life, at least I won't freeze to death if I can get to some place where there is no winter. I'm sure there will be Imperial messengers sent through the provinces to advise everyone about a female fugitive. Maybe I should leave China completely."

"And go where?"

"I don't know. Right now I just need to get as far away from the Imperial City as possible."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang was exhausted after riding all night and then all that day. At sunset he decided that they should finally stop and rest.

Chi Fu whined that she would get away. Shang sighed and patiently reasoned with him that she would need to rest as much as they did and wouldn't be able to go forever either.

The councilman agreed, visibly relieved that they were stopping.

Chi Fu had not gone through the training as the others had and as the Emperor's council, he also felt that he shouldn't have to cook for himself. Shang therefore had to catch fish for both of them and cook for both of them. They ate in silence, much to Shang's relief.

Shang was grateful to be able to crawl into his tent and have some time for himself. Chi Fu had pretty much harangued him through the entire journey and Shang had a headache from spending two days alone with the scrawny councilman.

He woke up before the sun was up in the morning and emerged from his tent, calling out to Chi Fu. They had breakfast quickly and then took off again.

It was light and easy to see Khan's hoof prints. At one point, something caught his eye as he rode on staring at the ground. It was a miracle that he had seen it.

He stopped his stallion and stared. The ground was still hard and solid from the cold. And he could see several drops of what looked like dried blood in the dirt. It could have been from any animal. But he strongly suspected that Mulan's wound had re-opened during her fight with Shan-Yu in the Imperial City. He was sure that this was her blood.

"Why are we stopping, Captain?"

"Huh?" Shang turned to Chi Fu, who was looking at him questioningly. "Oh. This way."

Shang started forward again. Chi Fu shook his head, perplexed, and followed after him.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan traveled at night to avoid being seen and only stopped when she needed to eat and rest. Fortunately, she was way ahead of any Imperial messengers that would be coming through the towns making announcements about the female fugitive. She pressed on, pushing Khan as much as she could, only stopping when she absolutely had to.


	3. In the Village

**Chapter 3: In the Village**

The forest thinned out after several days as Mulan continued south. She was now riding in the open plains, by fields of rice paddies. She didn't like being out in the open like this. She had to stick to the dirt road now and she was highly visible.

She decided to take a chance and stop in one of the villages along the way, since she felt that she was still ahead. She needed to change out of the bright dress she was in and either dress as a man again or find a non-descript piece of clothing in a very dark color that would completely cover her so that no one could tell who or what she was. She also needed to look over her wound which had not stopped throbbing.

She stayed on the outskirts of the city and sent Mushu ahead to scout out the situation first. He returned with a large cloak, a man's tunic and trousers that would fit her, and a leather tie for her hair.

"Good job, Mushu."

There was a temple at the edge of the village. She went behind it to change into the tunic and trousers that Mushu had given her, while Khan, Mushu and Cri-Kee kept watch. As she opened the dress that she was wearing and looked at the bandage that was still around her torso she saw that it was stained with blood. The wound _had_ opened up again. She went over to Khan and took a knife out of her pack.

"What happened?" Mushu asked.

Mulan showed him the bandage. "My wound opened up. I thought I felt it."

"It must have happened in the Imperial City when you were fighting Shan-Yu."

Mulan cut the bandage away to look at the wound.

"You need a doctor, Mulan," Mushu exclaimed in alarm. "That thing is infected."

Mulan swore profusely.

"Alright, we're at a village," Mushu said, trying to calm her. "I'm sure we can find a medic."

Mulan took the knife and began to cut the bandage.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm cutting this half of the bandage off. But I'll leave the part that's around my chest. That way, the doctor can tend to my wound without seeing my chest. I'll just keep my top on."

Mulan finished cutting the bandage.

"Can you set that on fire, Mushu?"

"Why?"

"I don't want anyone to find it. Burn it."

Mushu obeyed.

Mulan dressed in the trousers and tunic that Mushu had brought her. Then she tied her hair up in a man's topknot again. Mushu helped her streak her face with dirt to obscure her feminine features.

"Hello again, Ping," Mushu quipped.

"I need to come up with another name, Mushu. And I need another family name, just in case. I can't tell people that my name is Fa."

"Alright, so what's the plan? You're going to go to a doctor and lift your tunic up just enough so that he can tend your wound?"

"Yes."

"What if he needs to knock you out?"

"I won't let him. I'll just have to put up with the pain. And I'll need you to help me, Mushu. No one must know who or what I am."

**xxxxxxx**

According to Mushu, there were some shady, dangerous-looking characters in this village. Mulan tied her sheathed sword onto her waist and wrapped herself in the cloak to obscure her weapon. She left Khan hidden behind the temple where he could graze and where no one would see him and walked into the village, surveying it warily but still trying to appear as casual as possible. There were some tough-looking characters around, but most of them were hanging around outside the tavern and they ignored her. The rest of the villagers were going about their daily business.

She went into a nearby inn. A man who appeared to be around the same age as her father approached and asked her what she wanted. She lowered the pitch of her voice so that she was talking like 'Ping' again and told him that she had been robbed along the road and had been wounded.

"I think the wound is infected," she told him.

The man, whose name was Sun Gao-Rong, beckoned for her to follow him. He took her to the house of the village medic and went in to talk to him. While she was alone, Mulan removed her cloak and untied her sword, wrapping it in the cloak. She didn't want Gao-Rong or the medic thinking that she was armed and dangerous.

The medic beckoned for her to come inside and Gao-Rong left. The medic wanted to knock her out, but she refused. She lay down and lifted her tunic just enough for him to work and not see her chest.

The pain as he disinfected her wound was unspeakable but she stifled the screams that threatened to escape from her lips. She bit her lip so hard that it bled as the medic began to work on re-stitching the wound. She blacked out shortly after that.

When she came to the doctor was finished and he had wrapped another bandage around the lower part of her torso. She sat up and he handed her a clean cloth and water.

"For your lip."

"Thank you."

"You should stay here. You really need to rest and let the wound heal."

"Thank you. But I am in a hurry."

The medic shook his head at her. But he smiled an understanding smile and handed her a small sack.

"Here. There are medicinal herbs in here. Keep them with you just in case. If the wound does open up again these will prevent further infection. Mix these with fresh water. But I must tell you, young man, I'd rather you stayed and let the wound heal completely."

It was dark when she emerged from the medic's house several hours later. Mulan returned to the inn where Gao-Rong was and thanked him for helping her. Then she told him that all her money had been taken but that she needed to eat and would work in exchange for a meal. He was agreeable to that and he gestured for her to sit at one of the tables, calling into the kitchen and asking the cook to prepare a meal for her.

He called her 'young man' and asked her where her parents lived. She told him that they had died and that she had been left homeless. She told him she was on her way to go live with her distant relatives in the south.

He nodded and expressed his sympathy about her parents. Then he told her that she could relieve the cook and wash out the kettles and pans when she was done eating.

**xxxxxxx**

"Mulan, how long do you plan on staying here?" Mushu muttered in her ear as she washed everything in the kitchen after she'd eaten.

"Until I finish working here and pay for my meal," she answered, softly. "And don't call me that. People may be able to hear you."

"Okay, Jin Kai-Feng. Where did you come up with that name?"

"There was someone at Wu Zhong with that name."

"You look exhausted. You really need to rest after that session with the medic."

"You were there, Mushu. Did he pull the tunic up further after I blacked out?"

"No. But he may know anyway. He is a doctor."

She nodded. "We'd better move on quickly, just in case."

Mulan found Gao-Rong afterward and told him that she was finished. He asked her if she needed a place to stay for the night, but she told him that she was all set and thanked him for allowing her to work for her meal.

She left and went back out to Khan, who was grazing behind the temple still. She patted him and spoke softly to him, apologizing for having to leave him for so long.

Then she mounted and rode off, circumventing the village and continuing south through the night. She needed to get far away from there in case the medic had known and mentioned it to someone.

**xxxxxxx**

Shang and Chi Fu had continued along on the dirt road after the forest had thinned out. Shang figured that Mulan would have had to stick to that road, too. They passed through several villages and stopped to ask around if people had seen a lone woman on a large black horse. The answer was no every time. If anyone had seen her, they weren't saying so.

Right now the sniveling councilman was in the middle of another one of his tirades that he gave Shang everyday. They were all the same. If Shang had done what he was supposed to in the Tung Shao Pass and had carried out her execution according to the Emperor's law they wouldn't have to be looking for her now. Shang had learned how to tune him out long ago, after putting up with him at Wu Zhong for so long.

He let the councilman's words go through him and concentrated on where they were and what Mulan would be doing. They were no longer near a stream. She would not have been able to fish, nor was there any crop right now because of the winter weather. She would have had to stop in one of these villages to get food or she would starve. And if his suspicions were correct, her wound had re-opened. She would have to get it treated soon or she would get an infection.

"Captain! Captain Li, are you listening to me?"

"Hmm?" Shang murmured absently.

Chi Fu let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, I'm not going to repeat it," he snorted in disgust.

"There's a temple up ahead," Shang said, pointing toward it. "And another village."

They rode up to the temple and Shang dismounted. He took a look inside, then walked around the outside of the temple. He noted hoof prints behind the temple. They could have been the prints of any horse; but they were the right size to be Khan's. She'd been there.

"Well?" Chi Fu asked. "No one is here."

"We'll ask in the village," Shang answered.

**xxxxxxx**

They stopped in an inn to get food. The keeper of the inn was named Gao-Rong and Chi Fu asked him if a lone woman on a large black horse had come through there. The answer was the same as everywhere else they had been.

Chi Fu stepped out to ask more people in the village about Mulan and Shang took that opportunity to ask Gao-Rong if there had been anyone else that had come through the village.

"A lot of people come through this village, Captain."

"I mean, a stranger, someone traveling alone."

Gao-Rong thought for a moment. "There was a boy that was here."

"When?"

"He was here last night."

"Did he give you his name?"

"His name was Feng. Kai-Feng. He had no parents. He had been robbed and wounded. I took him to the medic and then let him work for his meal. He was going to live with his family in the south."

"Did he say where in the south?"

Gao-Rong shook his head.

"Where is the medic?"

Gao-Rong led him to the door and pointed out the house where the medic lived.

"What did the boy look like?"

Gao-Rong shrugged. "He looked like a young boy. He was short. Very thin. He seemed like a very nice, innocent young boy. He isn't in trouble, is he, Captain?"

Shang shook his head silently and went back to the table as Chi Fu returned. Gao-Rong went off to the kitchen to check on their food.

"I asked around further, Captain. No one has seen a woman alone in this village."

Shang nodded. "She may be avoiding the villages."

"Your food will be out shortly," Gao-Rong told them.

"Thank you," Shang answered. He stood up and turned to Chi Fu. "I will be right back. I need to visit the medic in town."

Chi Fu just frowned at him and waved him off.


	4. Doubts

**Chapter 4: Doubts**

Chi Fu frowned as he watched Captain Li stride out the door.

He had never liked General Li Feng, and he liked his son Li Shang even less. As far as he was concerned, Li Shang was a spoiled, privileged boy who had probably never had to work at anything and who'd had everything handed to him all his life, including his rank.

No one else with so little experience would have been made a captain. And Li Shang wouldn't have been either had it not been for his father. In his opinion Li Shang didn't deserve the rank. It was obvious that he couldn't handle it. He'd failed to carry out the law and had spared the life of that treacherous creature Fa Mulan in the Tung Shao Pass.

Chi Fu snorted in disgust as he thought about that. The powerful, honorable Captain Li Shang weakened because of a worthless woman. If it had been up to him, he would have killed the two of them in the Tung Shao Pass.

Now the Emperor had given the captain a second chance, all because of his father. Anyone else would have lost his head, no second chance.

He didn't deserve it. The more Chi Fu traveled with him in search of the little snake, the more certain he was of that.

He was convinced that Captain Li was keeping things from him. And he made up his mind that once they found that creature, he would see to it that the two of them were taken care of.

**xxxxxxx**

The medic gestured for Shang to sit down after he let him in.

"How can I help you, Captain?"

"Gao-Rong told me that a young boy was here yesterday to have a wound treated."

"Yes, Captain. What about him?"

"Do you know where he went?"

"No, sir. I treated him and he left. The wound was starting to get infected. He told me that he had just received the wound; but I could see that it had been previously stitched and had re-opened. I tried to tell him that he should stay and let it heal, but he was in a hurry to leave and I can't make anyone stay against his will. Is he in trouble, Captain?"

"Is he alright?"

"Well, I was able to treat the infection. Fortunately it was just beginning and I was able to stop it very quickly. And I re-stitched the wound. I sent him away with some herbs to apply in case the wound opens again, to prevent another infection. But he will really be in trouble if that wound opens again."

"Did you get his name?"

"His name was Jin. Jin Kai-Feng."

Shang raised an eyebrow. There was something familiar about that name.

"Is there anything else, Captain?"

"No. Thank you for your time, sir."

**xxxxxxx**

After Mulan left the village where the medic had treated her she rode through that night, the next day and through the next night, wanting to put distance between her and the village in case the medic or Gao-Rong spoke to anyone.

Mushu kept trying to convince her to stop and get sleep.

"I'll watch out and warn you if anyone is coming, Mulan."

But Mulan didn't want to sleep. She had dreams about home and her family when she slept and they filled her with such unspeakable grief that she wanted to die. She had to keep going. She would sleep once she exhausted herself enough; and then, hopefully, it would be deep, dreamless sleep.

At least during the day she had some control over her thoughts. As soon as her thoughts turned to home and her family she could force them away. But in slumber she had no control.

There were moments that she didn't even know why she continued on. She didn't think she was capable of taking her own life. What would she do? Take her father's sword to her own throat?

She knew she couldn't do it. Faithful, steadfast Khan had saved her life once again and she was just compelled to keep going. She pushed herself on and on, not allowing herself to think about anything but survival, ignoring the pangs of grief and fear that plagued her constantly.

"Mushu, maybe you could backtrack and see if there is anyone following me."

"Good idea. Why don't you stop for a little while. You have been going for over thirty-six hours. Khan needs a rest too."

"I need to find a place where I can be hidden before I stop. I'll keep an eye out for a spot now."

**xxxxxxx**

Gao-Rong had told Shang that the boy was there the night before they arrived. Shang was sure that the 'boy' was Mulan, dressed up as Ping again. Which meant they were less than a full day behind her. If they continued on without stopping to sleep they would catch up to her. Though she probably wasn't stopping either.

Shang sighed as they rode on. This situation was miserable, as was this journey. It would have been bad enough if he were traveling alone; but it was worse with Chi Fu there. He couldn't stand Chi Fu and he knew the man resented him in return. He knew Chi Fu had hated his father, too.

He thought about his father now, about the way he had died. His father had been such a great general and he had taught Shang everything that he knew, all of his values. His father had been so confident in his own strength, in his ability and his army's ability to defeat the enemy. But his father had been over-confident, to the point of arrogance, and it had been his downfall. He'd completely underestimated his enemy and it had cost him his own life and the lives of his entire troop.

His mother had died several years before and it had just been his father and him for those years. Now he was alone. And chasing after a girl who was as alone as he was.

Shang still couldn't believe that after everything Mulan had done, everything she'd been through, the Emperor had still ordered her death. For his entire life he had been taught tradition and duty and to act in a way that was honorable. But was it honorable to kill this extraordinary girl that had saved them all just because he was obeying the Emperor's order?

She'd saved his life in the Tung Shao Pass and Shang knew he couldn't kill her then. True, he had failed to carry out the Emperor's law; but what kind of a law was it that said he should kill this girl when she had saved his life and the lives of his troop, just because of what she was?

She'd saved his life again in the Imperial City, along with everyone else's life, including the Emperor. And he'd sentenced her to death for high treason.

But what had she done, really? She'd dressed up as a man and had taken her father's place in the army to save his life. He himself had been furious at her for lying and deceiving him. But she hadn't actually harmed him or anyone else. And if it weren't for the law, she wouldn't have had to deceive anyone.

He remembered his father talking about Mulan's father, his friend Fa Zhou. He was a famous and honored warrior. He'd been wounded in the last battle that he fought in and Shang now remembered that his father had said that Fa Zhou could no longer sit on a horse. The general had wondered if the man would be able to walk again. Shang couldn't fathom why he would have received a conscription notice.

Shang sighed again. He didn't know what was right or what to believe in anymore.

He wondered if the Emperor even expected him to ever return to the Imperial City, or if this had merely been a way to dispatch him. If that was the case, he was already dishonored and he had dishonored his family.

He also suspected that Chi Fu possibly had orders to kill him, and was planning to do so as soon as they caught up to Mulan.


	5. Pei's Inn

**Chapter 5: Pei's Inn**

It was impossible to find a place where she could sleep out of sight in the middle of those open fields. She rode to the next village along the road. She had to take the chance and rest there.

There was no corral in sight, and she asked one of the villagers if there was a place where she could leave her horse. He pointed to one of the structures and told her that there was a corral behind it.

"That works out nicely. It's hidden," she muttered to Mushu.

She led Khan to the corral and made sure he had water and food. She brushed him, speaking softly to him and promising that she would brush him more thoroughly as soon as she had rested.

She wandered through the town until she found an inn. Once again she offered to work in exchange for food and a bed for the night. The innkeeper was agreeable to that. He was about to give her a task, then he took a close look at her and saw that she was going to fall down at any moment.

"I will lead you to your room. When you have rested I will put you to work."

She thanked him and followed him to her room. He left the room and she collapsed onto the bed.

"Cri-Kee will stay here and keep an eye on you, Mulan. I'll backtrack and see if there is anyone following you," Mushu told her.

"Okay," she mumbled and fell asleep.

Mushu took off.

**xxxxxxx**

The innkeeper told Mulan that his cook had just quit.

"Can you cook, young man?"

"Uh, sort of."

"Good. You can work in the kitchen in exchange for room and board tonight."

He led her to the kitchen and showed her where everything was.

"It's an odd time and there is no one here yet. This would be a good time for you to cook something for yourself. You look like you need it, kid."

Mulan thanked him and began to cook some rice for herself. She found meat and vegetables and prepared a meal. She ate ravenously. She couldn't remember when she had eaten last. Probably her meal at Gao-Rong's inn was the last meal she'd had before this. That was two days ago.

Mushu appeared as she was finishing her meal.

"You _are_ being followed. And you're not going to like who it is."

She felt her heart sink but looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"It's Shang."

"Of course it is," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Who else would it be?"

"And Chi Fu is with him."

"I never thought of them as two peas in a pod," she muttered.

"Well, I'm not so sure that they are."

"How far behind are they?"

"Well, thanks to the fact that you didn't sleep for two days, they are a little over a day behind you."

"Would you keep an eye on them for me, Mushu? Come back and warn me as soon as they are within a few miles of this village."

"You got it, babe. Cri-Kee, you stay here and watch out for her."

The cricket chirped a response in his own mysterious language.

Mushu took off and Mulan cleaned the pans and things that she had used. The innkeeper appeared a few minutes later.

"We're starting to get a crowd. By the way, I'm Pei. I never introduced myself."

She struggled to think of another boy's name. "My name is Sheng-Li."

Sheng-Li had been the name of one of her father's friends. If Shang and Chi Fu were following her, they were probably asking about her in the villages. If they had spoken to Gao-Rong or the medic that treated her they most likely had heard about a stranger named 'Kai-Feng' that came through the village. And if she kept using that name she would be leaving a trail just as surely as if she had used the name Ping.

**xxxxxxx**

Apparently, Pei's inn was the gathering place for the gamblers in the town. Everyone came in at around midnight and stayed until the morning. Some of them were pretty scary looking. But they left her alone.

Mulan had been traveling during the night and resting in the early mornings or early evenings; she was used to being up nights now. So when Pei requested that she stay up in case the men needed anything she had no problem.

She didn't have to cook for them; no one was interested in eating. All she had to do was make sure that their Du Kang was refilled once they ran out. She hung out in the kitchen the rest of the night reading one of the books she'd found and listening to the men talk louder as they got drunker.

As their voices rose, she couldn't help but hear their conversation. She realized that none of them were talking about the game or money or anything that remotely had anything to do with those things.

They were plotting to kill someone.


	6. At Dawn

**Chapter 6: At Dawn**

Shang woke with a start that morning. He'd been dreaming about her again.

He was haunted by images of her whenever he slept now. The crouched half-naked figure in the snow under the sword that he was holding, her head raised, her eyes bravely meeting his. The tiny silhouette of her fighting Shan-Yu on the roof. The memory of her powerful steed Khan barreling up to the platform, separating Chi Fu from her and carrying his little mistress to safety.

Shang sat up and blinked, glancing at his surroundings and trying to orient himself as to where he was. It was easy to forget, being on the move constantly and sleeping in a different place each night.

At least now they were spending the nights inside, in the inns of the villages they passed through. It was more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. And, more importantly, he slept in his own room with the door closed, away from Chi Fu.

The sun was just starting to rise. He would have to face Chi Fu shortly and then they would be riding off after her again, on this pointless mission to chase down a young girl that had done nothing but save their country and everyone in it. She had sacrificed her own safety to do it, too. She could have gone home and been safe after he had left her in the Tung Shao Pass. But she hadn't. She had risked her life _again_ - after risking her life once to save him - to come to the city and warn them. And had brought on her own final death sentence.

He lifted himself out of bed abruptly as he felt the anger and the frustration with the unfairness of it all rise within him. He washed, then dressed and tied his hair up into his usual neat topknot.

It had been Chi Fu's idea to come with him; he wanted to make sure that Shang carried out the Emperor's order. Chi Fu seemed to have his own personal vendetta against Mulan; some bizarre need for vengeance against her, to see her put to death.

He shook his head. To even imagine what was in that man's mind was chilling.

He walked outside and watched the sunrise, breathing in the fresh air and trying to clear his mind. He had always loved early mornings and watching the sunrise. He took in the beauty of it now, letting it calm him.

He needed to think objectively about what to do once they found Mulan, _if_ they found her. But he couldn't. Every time he tried to think rationally about it, he found himself daydreaming about ways to get rid of Chi Fu. He didn't know what he was going to do.

The Emperor had given him the choice to either kill her when he found her or bring her to the Imperial City to be executed. Chi Fu would most likely insist that he kill her immediately and not wait to bring her back.

But the idea of murdering Mulan disturbed him greatly. Deep in his heart Shang didn't believe that he would be able to do it. Nor did he want to.

**xxxxxxx**

As dawn approached and the men who had gathered at Pei's inn began to depart, Mulan went out to Khan with some carrots that she had swiped from the kitchen. Khan was very pleased to have such a special treat and he nuzzled her gratefully when he had finished eating. She brushed him thoroughly then, just as she had promised him. She threw her arms around his neck then, hugging him before returning to the inn.

One man had remained behind and he and Pei were talking.

Pei turned to Mulan as she entered the room and asked her if she would be willing to stay and work there. He told her that he would provide her room and board and pay her a small stipend if she would stay on as his cook.

Mulan thanked him and told him that she had to be moving on.

"You seem to be in a great hurry, young man," the other man said. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

Mulan looked at him, warily, uncomfortable with the fact that he was questioning her so directly. She looked at Pei then. Pei had a kind face, but the other man was the meanest, scariest looking one in the bunch that had gathered there.

"You are awfully young to be in trouble with the law," the man continued.

She began to back up toward the hallway, ready to run to her room where her father's sword was.

"Don't worry," Pei told her. "We know how easy it is to be in trouble with the law these days. We won't give you away. I assure you, people in this village and in many of the villages near here have no love for the Emperor. Or his laws."

"And maybe we can help each other. There are two men who are coming from the Imperial City," the other man continued. "We are particularly interested in one of them."

"Sheng-Li," Pei interrupted. "You were not introduced to anyone, including this man. This is Guang-Zhi."

"How do you know about these two men coming here?" she asked, cautiously.

"We know much about what goes on in the Imperial City," Pei explained. "We have a continuous, threadless network set up between here and Chang'an. Our man in Chang'an rides to the next village and gives each message to our contact there. That man in turn rides on to the next village with the message. And so on, until the contact in the village just before this one comes here. Our man in Chang'an left the same day as the councilman and the Imperial officer but beat them here by almost five days. It is an efficient and speedy method of communication that we have, in both directions. One man coming from Chang'an all the way to here would have to stop to rest and fortify himself, as well as his horse. But each of our men has only to make one leg of the journey, from one village to the next; they can ride day or night, at top speed and without resting because the next man takes over then."

Mulan still looked at them suspiciously. There was a reason why they had such a complicated set up. She wondered who they were plotting to kill.

"I assume that if you are in trouble with the law these two are the ones that were sent after you. Chi Fu and the Imperial captain," Guang-Zhi pressed further.

"I have to go," she said, backing up. "I must be getting to my family in the south."

"Wait," Pei said, grasping her arm. "We won't hurt you. You can help us. And we will protect you, Fa Mulan."


	7. Strange Allies

**Chapter 7: Strange Allies**

Mulan froze in terror.

"We know about your bravery and your sacrifice, Fa Mulan," Pei continued. "We know what you did in the Tung Shao Pass and that afterward you went to the Imperial City at risk to yourself because you knew everyone was in danger. We know how you defeated Shan-Yu on the roof of the palace. You did not deserve that sentence. You deserve a medal of honor. There are many who feel the same, from this village all the way into the Imperial City."

Mulan stared at him mutely, still frozen, unable to believe that this conversation was happening.

"You knew who I was already," she finally sighed, sadly.

"We've been waiting for you. We knew Chi Fu and the captain were chasing you. And when we received the message from Wen, we knew that you were coming in this direction. Wen is the medic that Gao-Rong sent you to when you needed to get your wound re-stitched."

"Doesn't it bother all of you? What I did?"

Pei smiled kindly. "Saving our country?"

"We will give you protection. And you can help us," Guang-Zhi said. "As for Chi Fu, we have plans for him when he gets here. It actually worked out perfectly that he decided to come hunt you down with the captain."

"Chi Fu will never harm you," Pei told her, noting the worry in her face. "We will make sure of that."

"As for the captain," Guang-Zhi continued, "we will have to keep him out of the way until we have disposed of the councilman. Then we'll talk with Captain Li."

Mulan swallowed, forcing back the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan slept fitfully for a couple of hours then woke with a start, remembering the conversation she'd had with Pei and Guang-Zhi. She felt for her father's sword beside her and breathed a sigh of relief as she felt her palm close over the hilt. She wanted to trust the two men and hoped that they would help her. But the situation seemed too good to be real. She had to be cautious.

She slowly sat up and looked around after a few minutes. Her things were untouched. No one had broken in while she was sleeping at least. She suddenly noticed that the cricket was perched at the entrance, his tiny body locked in a rigid, vigilant stance.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat for another few minutes, waiting for the aching in her body to subside. Her limbs and her muscles still felt fatigued from all of the non-stop riding and lack of sleep.

The cricket saw that she was awake and hopped over to her, chirping.

"Thanks for looking out for me, Cri-Kee."

He chirped something else, which of course she didn't understand. But even though she didn't understand his words, or whatever they were, she somehow was able to intuitively pick up the gist of what he was saying, especially when he pantomimed for her.

"So, what do you think about Pei and Guang-Zhi, Cri-Kee? Do they seem trustworthy?"

Cri-Kee chirped and pantomimed, attempting to make himself look as scary as possible.

"Yeah, Guang-Zhi _is_ scary-looking," she sighed. "I heard them plotting to kill someone. I guess it's Chi Fu." She frowned as another thought crossed her mind. "Then again, for all I know, maybe it's me that they want to kill."

The cricket chirped in response, but she wasn't able to interpret this time.

"I would like to trust Pei and Guang-Zhi," she confided in the cricket. "I could use some help from someone. But it all seems too good to be true, especially considering how things have turned out for me lately."

She stood up slowly and went to wash up. Then she dressed in the trousers and tunic and tied her hair up into a topknot. She streaked her face with some of the oil that Mushu had left in her pack, to obscure her features. Then she sheathed the sword and tied it onto her waist.

She didn't know why she was even bothering to continue to dress as if she was Sheng-Li. Pei and Guang-Zhi already knew who she really was, and so did everyone else that had been 'gambling' there probably.

Mulan was hoping that Mushu would be returning soon. She wasn't sure what powers Mushu possessed in truth, since he'd been demoted by her ancestors and wasn't a real guardian anymore. But no one else had to know that. And if Pei or any of his friends tried to harm her, maybe she could manage to convince them that Mushu was a magical being that was on her side. If nothing else, it would distract them temporarily and buy her some time to escape if it became necessary.

But hopefully her luck was changing a little and she could trust Pei and Guang-Zhi.

**xxxxxxx**

"Good morning," Pei greeted her when she entered the main room. "You look a little more rested than when you first came here yesterday. But it would do you good to stop traveling and really rest yourself."

"Don't _you_ ever sleep?" she asked him.

He chuckled. "For a few hours every evening, before my friends come. At my age, I do not need a lot of sleep."

He saw her sword but said nothing about it.

"No one comes in to eat earlier in the day?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. The kitchen opens later, for dinner. The inn is of course open at any time, for people to check in. There are some sweet red bean buns in the kitchen for breakfast. Lady Xie is famous in this village for them. She makes them at home and comes around every day with a batch. We will have breakfast and talk some more."

"Do you want some tea?"

"If you are making some for yourself."

She nodded and went to the kitchen.

"Your captain and Chi Fu are in a village a full day away from this one," Pei told her after they were seated at the table. "One of the men that was here early this morning came from that village and reported that they had stopped in an inn there to spend the night. They will most likely stop in the village just before this one tonight."

"They will be here tomorrow, then."

He nodded. "By early afternoon. You came here on your steed."

"Yes. Khan is in the corral."

"You should move him. They will probably bring their own stallions there and they might recognize Khan."

"I'm sure they will. And Khan will recognize them. He may trample Chi Fu."

Pei laughed. "We have a plan to make sure they stay in this village. You will be in the kitchen during the evening, so neither one of them will see you."

Mulan nodded and drank her tea.

"You have not eaten anything yet," he commented.

She looked at the sweet buns, nervously. Pei understood. He smiled and picked one of the buns up. He cut it in two and took half for himself, biting into it.

"See? If there is anything in it, we will both be eating it."

She relaxed and smiled, taking the other half that he held out to her and eating hungrily.

"Wow, these really are good."

"I told you."

"If I had gone a different way when I left the Imperial City, is the same network set up in all directions?"

"Yes. But I am glad you came this way and that I was able to meet you. We will be the ones to get rid of Chi Fu. We have important plans for China, and Chi Fu is the one who has been spoiling everything. We have lost a lot of good people because of him; and not just people involved in our cause. Many of the people killed were innocent, hard-working people that contributed to our community and, in their own small way, to China. It will be our pleasure to dispose of him."

"What about Shang?"

Pei stared at her, puzzled.

"Uh, Captain Li," she corrected herself.

He looked surprised for a moment, then smiled.

"Ah, yes, the captain. He is the one who spared you in the Tung Shao Pass, isn't he?"

She nodded.

"He is obviously a wise young man. Well, as Guang-Zhi said, we will talk to him. Then we will decide what to do about him."

Pei cut another sweet red bean bun in two. He bit into one half and held out the other to her. She grinned and accepted it gratefully.


	8. Night Meeting

**Chapter 8: Night Meeting**

Mushu was terribly disappointed that Mulan had already found out from Pei and Guang-Zhi everything that _he_ was going to report to her.

"I went for nothing," he complained, pouting.

"No, it wasn't for nothing, Mushu. We didn't know."

Mulan worked through her second night at Pei's inn. The men drank Du Kang all night and she refilled their cups whenever they needed.

She could hear everything they said now and Mushu was perched outside listening as well. They had an entire network of people working between their village and the Imperial City, and in villages beyond this one. They wanted to oust the current Emperor. There was a general from a well-known, respected family who was held in high esteem by the Emperor and others in the Imperial City; he was unhappy with the way the country was being run and wanted to put someone else in place. He was very popular among the peasants and among the people in these villages, and they wanted to assist him in putting the person he backed in power. The mysterious general was merely referred to by his code name: Ping. Mulan found that highly amusing.

The cricket was listening to the conversation, too, and he suddenly chirped at Mulan. She turned and looked at him.

"What do I care about their politics?" she answered, guessing what he was probably saying to her. "I'm not even a citizen of this country anymore. I'm a fugitive."

She was called to the outer room at that moment. She grabbed the Du Kang and brought it out to give everyone refills.

**xxxxxxx**

At dawn, Pei and Guang-Zhi sat and spoke with her in the main room.

"We could use your help, Fa Mulan. You are a shrewd strategist. And I am sure you have no love for the Emperor," Guang-Zhi said.

"No, I have no love for the Emperor. But I don't know how I can help. I don't want to be anywhere near the Imperial City."

"You wouldn't have to be there. You can help us here; in small ways, like many of the other villagers. And you can help us with your ideas."

"I don't know how long I can stay here. I am being hunted down."

"We will keep you hidden and protected," Guang-Zhi answered. "Many people have been unhappy with this Emperor. He is greedy and ruthless. He has been waging wars on our neighbors that we have always had friendly relations with. He wastes money on that instead of putting it to good use, where it is needed. And it is because of his ceaseless aggressions that our northern border was so vulnerable to an attack by Shan-Yu and the Huns. Our plans were on hold while the country had to deal with that. But now that Shan-Yu has been defeated, thanks to you, we can continue."

"Chi Fu will no longer be able to harm you after tonight," Pei said, trying to reassure her further. "Or anyone else. And he will no longer be able to stir up trouble with the Emperor about our activities."

"Who else did Chi Fu harm?" she asked.

"Most people underestimate Chi Fu. They think of him as a pompous snob and a sniveling, petty bureaucrat who is merely annoying, but not dangerous. But he is an incredibly brilliant, deceptive and manipulative politician. This Emperor is influenced by him. Chi Fu knows just how to flatter him and how to manipulate him. He influenced the Emperor to pass many of the decrees that have been prejudiced against the lifestyles of the farmers and common villagers."

"But you said that you lost a lot of people because of him."

"Yes," Pei answered. "He came to one of the villages to announce one of the Emperor's decrees. One of the villagers spoke up about the consequences it would have on some of the villagers' livelihood. Chi Fu went back to the Imperial City and told the Emperor that the villagers were rebelling. A guard was sent, under the guise of making sure peace was kept. Of course, as always with these situations, their presence actually caused violence instead of keeping peace, which was really the intention. Several people were killed. Some were allies working with us; others were innocent bystanders. Guang-Zhi…"

Pei looked at his friend.

"Go ahead. You tell it," he said, nodding.

"Guang-Zhi lost his son."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Mulan said softly.

"That was only one particular incident. There are many such stories. A lot of people have reason to want Chi Fu put out of commission. And now, we really do have a rebellion."

"As for the Imperial captain," Guang-Zhi continued, "I understand that he is the one that spared you in the mountains. Perhaps he can be reasoned with."

She was afraid to ask the next question that came to her mind.

"We will not harm him unnecessarily," he answered, as if he knew what she was thinking. "What do you think?"

"I'll do what I can," she answered softly.

"Keep in mind, also; 'Ping' is aware of what you did for our country, as is the person he is backing. When that person becomes Emperor he will no doubt reverse the sentence. You will be cleared of the charge of treason and your family's honor will be restored."

She found that hard to believe. But she kept her doubts to herself.

She bid them both goodnight and went to her room.

She didn't have any love for the Emperor; but she didn't want to be involved in their politics either; she just wanted to be left alone. But it was safer to agree; if she didn't, they might kill her, too.

**xxxxxxx**

"This is great!" Mushu was chirping with delight in a voice that was nearly as high as the cricket's as Mulan readied herself for bed. "What a turn of events!"

She didn't answer him.

"You can help them assist this 'Ping' guy to put whoever he wants on the throne and you'll have your life and your family's honor back! And I can be a guardian again!"

Mushu suddenly noticed her expression.

"You _are_ going to help them, aren't you, Mulan?"

"I don't know," she answered, softly. "Why should I care about their politics? Besides, what makes everyone so sure that whoever they place on the throne will be any better than this Emperor? He may be worse."

"I have one word for you, Mulan. Honor."

"That word gives me pain, Mushu."

"You told them you would help them."

"I don't want them to kill me, Mushu, so I just agreed." She sank down onto the bed wearily. "Pei seems to be a very kind man. But all of this seems too good to be true. I can't trust anything or anyone anymore and I just want to be left alone."


	9. Arrival

**Chapter 9: Arrival**

"Captain, are you sure we should be continuing this way? No one in these villages has seen her. She probably went in a different direction."

Shang was silent for a moment, thinking about what their next move should be. The innkeeper where they had stayed the previous night had told them that the next village wasn't very far. He was trying to decide whether they should stop there for the night, even though they would not have traveled very much. They had been pushing their stallions and the horses were showing signs of fatigue. They did not have the power and stamina that Khan had. And, although he hadn't mentioned anything to Chi Fu, he knew for certain that Mulan was on this road. No one had seen a lone woman because the lone woman was disguised as a boy again.

"Captain Li," Chi Fu reprimanded him sharply. "I don't care who your father was. I am the Emperor's council and you _will_ learn to listen to me and show me the proper respect."

Shang groaned inwardly. But he spoke calmly, almost tonelessly. "I'm sorry, sir. I was concentrating on something. I meant you no disrespect."

Chi Fu looked at him, surprised at his reply.

"I have a hunch that she has been continuing along this road," Shang continued, ignoring his look. "It leads south, and I think that is where she is headed."

"What makes you so sure, Captain?"

"It's warmer in the south. It will be easier for her to survive there."

That seemed to appease Chi Fu and he remained willing to go along with Shang's direction.

"Very well, Captain. But I still don't understand how she passed through these villages and managed to be seen by no one."

Shang shrugged. "Maybe they just weren't paying attention."

The councilman grunted, annoyed. "Well, the innkeeper where we stayed last night said that the next village isn't too far. We should be arriving soon."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang and Chi Fu put their stallions in the corral when they arrived in the next village in the early afternoon. They walked through town until they found an inn and went inside. They rang for service and a man came shuffling out to the main room after a few minutes.

"Ah, welcome," the man greeted them. "It is an honor to have an officer of the Imperial army with us."

"We are merely here for information," Chi Fu snapped.

"And you appear to be a statesman, sir."

"I am the Emperor's council," he told the innkeeper, sniffing at him.

"Ah, a great honor indeed, sir. There are two rooms available for the evening for you gentlemen. Would you like to see them?"

"We will not be staying. As I said, we are here for information," Chi Fu told him. "We are looking for a female fugitive. She has been sentenced to death by the Emperor for high treason, but she escaped."

The man thought for a moment. "I had heard about a strange woman that came into town."

"She was on a large black horse."

"Oh, I wouldn't know about that. I just heard about a female stranger that arrived here. She was wounded and bleeding."

Shang started at that, realizing that her wound must have opened yet again. "Where is she?" he asked.

"She is at the medic's house, being treated."

Chi Fu demanded that he show them where the medic's house was. Shang and Chi Fu left the inn and walked to where the innkeeper had pointed.

They walked through the gate and headed toward the front door. As they passed the medic's stable Shang caught sight of the large black steed that was tied up there and his heart skipped a beat. It was Khan.

A woman admitted them and led them to a room, gesturing for them to sit.

"My husband will be with you shortly."

After several minutes, the meanest, scariest looking medic Shang had ever seen in his life entered the room. Chi Fu questioned him about the woman he was treating.

"Is she a member of your family, sir?"

"Absolutely not!" Chi Fu retorted. "She has been sentenced to death for treason by the Emperor. We are here to take her back to the Imperial City."

"I'm afraid she won't be going anywhere for awhile. She has a wound that has re-opened, for what appears to be the second time, and it is badly infected. She is very ill. She may die here, in which case your execution will be taken care of for you."

Shang felt his heart sink when he heard that.

"Are you gentlemen staying in town?" the medic asked. "The innkeeper is my friend and I am there all the time. I would be happy to stop in and let you know of her progress."

Chi Fu nodded and stood up. "That would be acceptable."

"Very well. I will contact you with any news. Good day, gentlemen."

"Captain Li."

Shang looked up, realizing that Chi Fu had already stood up.

"Thank you, sir," he said to the medic and stood up, heading out with Chi Fu.

"Well, Captain, it appears that we will be checking into that inn after all," Chi Fu stated.

**xxxxxxx**

"I am honored that you gentlemen decided to stay with us," the innkeeper said, showing them to their rooms. "I am Pei. Just ring for me if you need anything."

Shang thanked Pei and went into his room, shutting the door. He walked over to the bed and sank down onto it heavily, tossing his pack aside. He was upset and worried about Mulan's wound. It was the second time that the wound had re-opened and had begun to become infected. She was very ill now and the medic had said that she could die.

She deserved so much better than everything that had happened to her.

He decided to go out and take a walk. Sitting there worrying about her wouldn't help the situation. Maybe he could go back to the medic's house by himself and ask to just see her for a minute.

He left the room, shutting the door behind him, and walked down the hall, out into the main room. He stopped suddenly and stared as he saw the small, lithe, familiar figure walking through a door off of that room.

"Mulan."

He strode toward the door that the figure had disappeared through.

"May I help you, Captain?"

Shang started and turned around as he felt someone tap his shoulder.

"I…" he trailed off for a moment, turning and looking back toward the door. "There was…I was…"

"The kitchen isn't open until later," Pei told him. "For dinner. But there is a tea-room down the street where you can get a meal now, Captain. I will point it out to you."

**xxxxxxx**

"Shang and Chi Fu are here in this village now," Mushu told her as she washed up and got ready to go to work in the kitchen. "They came to this inn, then went to Guang-Zhi's house."

"Guang-Zhi's house?" she exclaimed, alarmed.

Mushu shrugged. "The medic, Guang-Zhi."

"Guang-Zhi isn't the medic."

"He isn't?"

She shook her head.

"Well, I only know that when they asked for you, Pei told them that a woman had come to town, wounded and bleeding. He told them that you went to the medic's house and sent them to Guang-Zhi."

Maybe Pei and Guang-Zhi really were on her side. That story was completely fabricated. Pei was throwing them off by telling them she was wounded again and sending them to Guang-Zhi's house, saying he was the medic. And that was why Pei had told her to bring Khan to Guang-Zhi's home; to set up a convincing appearance to them that she was there, being treated. That way they wouldn't leave town.

A moment later Pei met her in the kitchen and spoke softly, confirming what she had been thinking.

"They are here. The councilman and the captain. We have convinced them to stay in town. In fact, the captain almost walked in here, not realizing that it was the kitchen." He grinned mysteriously for a moment. Then he became serious again. "When the men arrive for the nightly 'game' tonight we will be implementing our plan for Chi Fu. You will remain safe in here."

"Okay."

She was afraid to ask what their plan was.


	10. Mourning

**Chapter 10: Mourning**

It was early evening and the sun hadn't completely set yet. Shang strolled aimlessly through the village, deep in thought. He was thinking about the elusive figure that he'd seen at the inn, disappearing into what was apparently the kitchen. And he was wondering why Mulan had appeared in this village as a woman when she'd been disguised as a boy in every other village she'd passed through. It seemed odd.

He paused before the gate of the medic's house, still thinking about the figure he had seen at the inn. He knew Mulan's slight, lithe figure and he had been so sure it was her in that moment. But it couldn't have been her. She was at the medic's house. He'd seen Khan there, too.

He knew he must have been mistaken about the girl at the inn. After all, he'd only caught a glimpse of her.

He was suddenly thinking about Wu Zhong when he knew her as Ping. She had been the worst disaster in camp when they first started training. He had let her go that one night; and she had turned around and proved him wrong about her that very night, beating the challenge that no one else in camp could. After that, she had become his best soldier. He thought about how she'd come to look for him in the avalanche, thinking of him first and putting herself at risk. About how he felt when he discovered the truth of who and what she was. About how she had said that she did it to save her father. Those words had struck a deep chord inside of him. He understood and couldn't fault her for it; he would have done anything to save his own father.

A wave of grief rose up in him as he thought about that and he fought to suppress it. He remembered the horrific scene of the destroyed village and the valley strewn with the bloody, broken bodies of the fallen soldiers of the Imperial army. His father's body lay out there, too. He remembered how he could barely feel his legs as he walked toward the edge of the ridge holding his father's helmet. And he remembered how she had stood behind him as he made a soldier's memorial and uttered soft words of comfort. In a strange way, though the two of them were commanding officer and soldier she had been his friend, too. She had always cared about him. And that was why she came to look for him in the avalanche, even when she was wounded. It was a purely selfless act. She could have left him and gotten herself to safety with the others. But she didn't.

She did the same thing in the Imperial City, coming there at risk to herself to warn him and the others that Shan-Yu was there with his men. He was so angry at her deception, for not being who he thought she was, that he wouldn't listen to her. She turned out to be right. After that, without even realizing it until this moment, he had made up his mind that he would never doubt her again. He had joined her and her three friends and had followed her strategy. And it had been the right thing to do.

She had risked her life for him again in the palace. Shan-Yu was going to kill him. The Hun's sword was at his throat. She did nothing but take her shoe and throw it at Shan-Yu's head. It had distracted him from Shang and she revealed to him who she was when he turned to her. That had prompted Shan-Yu to leave him alone and chase after her. The Hun leader didn't even seem to be phased that it was a girl that had defeated his army. He merely saw her as the 'soldier from the mountains' and wanted to have his vengeance on that soldier.

Looking back, knowing what she looked like as Mulan, Shang couldn't imagine how he had ever mistaken her for Ping, a boy soldier. True she had kept her face streaked with dirt or oil or something to hide her feminine features and had covered her feminine form. Still, she was so obviously not masculine. He remembered looking down at her as she crouched in the snow, looking cold and vulnerable. He had been too angry to think about it in that moment; but he had realized how lovely she was then and couldn't understand how he could never have seen how beautiful she was before that.

He wondered what his father would have done if he were in his place, and felt the same wave of grief surge inside of him again. He turned, deciding not to go back into the medic's home, and returned to his room at the inn, passing through the main room that was already filling up with customers that had come for dinner.

He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, letting the tears roll down his cheeks as he mourned the loss of his father, something he hadn't had time for. He'd thought about his father many times since his death and didn't quite understand what had finally brought this on now; but he knew the tears needed to come.

All he had ever wanted to do was please his father. His father had always expected so much of him, but he had always encouraged him, too. Shang knew in his heart that his father loved him, even when he was stern and strict with him. He thought about the last day that he saw his father, the day at Wu Zhong when he had made him captain and handed him the newly forged sword. All he had wanted then was to prove to his father that he could be an excellent captain and train his troops well; to make him proud of him. His father never got to see his accomplishments or how he had turned the motley crew of rag-tag recruits into an efficient, competent regiment.

What would his father think of him now? If the general had been in Shang's place, would he have killed Mulan in the mountains after she had saved his life? His father had taught him about honor and duty and tradition. Would his father have just accepted it as his duty to kill this girl without a thought for her as a brave, selfless person who had risked herself for him? Would his father be disappointed in him now for not carrying out the Emperor's law?

"I'm sorry, Father," he whispered, tearfully.

Since the moment he'd left to go after her, he'd had doubts that he could carry out the Emperor's order. There was no honor in carrying it out. Even though she had done something that appeared to be wrong and outrageous and had defied tradition, she had more than made up for it.

He knew he wouldn't be able to return to the Imperial City again. He wouldn't be following in his father's footsteps. He didn't even know if it mattered to him anymore, especially after seeing those fallen troops in that valley, knowing his father was among them. He was uncertain as to what his life would become now. But he knew for certain that he could never, would never harm Mulan. All he wanted was to see her and talk to her again.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan worked non-stop in the kitchen all evening. She didn't know where all of these people came from but she didn't mind being busy. It kept her mind off of all the things that she didn't want to think about.

"Well, so far it seems that these guys really are on your side," Mushu commented as she worked.

"Yes. And if all goes well, at least I won't have to worry about Chi Fu anymore."

"Yeah, only the captain. But I can be a magical creature working to protect you if you need me to be," he added.

"Hopefully that won't be necessary," she answered, absently, concentrating on the dumplings she was making now.

"So, you've become quite a good little cook in two days," he teased. "Too bad your captain won't know it's you cooking."

"He's not my captain anymore. And I thought I was going to get out of doing this after I failed the matchmaker's test."

She had meant it as a joke, as part of her banter with Mushu; but a wave of sadness suddenly washed over her as she mentioned the matchmaker's test. That was the day that had been the start of everything.

Even though she had saved her father's life, she would never see him or the rest of her family again. For all intents of purposes, they were dead to each other. Deep inside she knew she would never get over that.

She forced the thoughts and feelings away. She couldn't think about that day or any of those things anymore. It would be too painful.


	11. Fa Mulan

**Chapter 11: Fa Mulan**

The main room in the inn was packed with people from the village now. Shang sat at one of the tables with Chi Fu, half listening to the conversation around him and half keeping his eye on the entrance, hoping the medic would show up soon.

Pei served them the food that they had ordered.

"This food is excellent," Chi Fu commented to Pei.

"Yes. Sheng-Li is an excellent cook."

Pei disappeared into the kitchen then returned a few minutes later with two cups.

"Here you are, gentlemen. Rice wine, on the house."

The medic entered the inn and Chi Fu waved him over.

"Well, what is the news?" he asked.

"There has not been much of a change, but I have been able to control the infection. She is resting, and we will have to see over the next day or so what happens. Although, if she is going to be executed anyway, it all seems rather pointless, doesn't it?"

The man waved Pei over and asked him to bring him a cup of Du Kang.

"Right away, Guang-Zhi."

Shang finished his dinner and drank his rice wine slowly. He was pondering how he would handle Chi Fu. He knew the councilman was out for blood and wanted Mulan executed. He wondered if he would have to kill Chi Fu in order to protect her. He would definitely choose to kill the councilman over Mulan if it came to that.

He suddenly stared into his cup after drinking about half of it. He very rarely drank rice wine and he wasn't sure if he remembered what it was supposed to taste like. But there was a slightly odd bitter taste to the wine. It wasn't bad tasting. It was just odd. He shrugged, thinking it must be very aged, and finished drinking it.

There were now several men gathered at their table, asking them questions about the fugitive they were looking for. Chi Fu was telling them about how she had impersonated a man and a soldier, and had dishonored the Chinese army; but the villagers were talking about how _they_ had heard that she had saved everyone's life, including the Emperor's.

Shang wondered how they could possibly know so much about it. How had this information traveled so fast to this little village that was so far from the Imperial City?

Chi Fu was chiding the villagers, telling them that the comments they were making sounded like treason. That didn't seem to scare them at all, though, and the conversation about the woman warrior Fa Mulan became loud and heated.

Shang was suddenly feeling dizzy and his eyelids felt heavy. He tried to force his eyes open and shake off the dizziness. One voice suddenly stuck out in the conversation, stating that they were lucky she had been there to save them, given the precarious position the country had been in after the Emperor's lousy orders to the general in the Tung Shao Pass that cost the lives of the entire troop stationed there.

Shang started to turn to the person that had said that, wondering at the comment and thinking that he had recognized the voice, but his mind felt hazy and he couldn't lift his eyelids. He suddenly wasn't hearing the conversation anymore. It was just a din of noise that washed over him, voices overlapping and running together. Someone was asking him a question and he tried to open his eyes and make his mouth form an answer, but he couldn't keep his eyes open and his voice came out incoherent and disembodied. Somewhere in his mind he was thinking that he hadn't realized that he was this exhausted.

"Captain! Captain!"

It was Chi Fu squealing. He sounded like a girl. Shang brought his hands up to his temples and tried to pry his eyelids open, to see what Chi Fu was screaming about. His vision was blurred but he could see that several men had surrounded Chi Fu and were holding his arms and restraining him, beginning to drag him off somewhere.

Shang went to stand and reached down for his sword but he couldn't move and his arm was too heavy. It just fell limply at his side.

**xxxxxxx**

"Come on out, Mulan," Pei called out.

She stepped out of the kitchen. The men had Chi Fu bound and gagged. Chi Fu's eyes widened when he saw her. Though she was still wearing the tunic and trousers, she hadn't bothered to tie her hair up or streak her face, since everyone there knew who she was. She looked like Fa Mulan now, not Ping or Sheng-Li.

"This young woman saved your sorry hide two times and you didn't even have the decency to thank her," one of the men was saying. "He wants to thank you now, Fa Mulan. Don't you?"

The man had his hand at the back of Chi Fu's head and he forced him to nod.

"He also wants to show you proper homage, as you deserve."

Mulan gaped as he and another man shoved Chi Fu to his knees and forced him to bow before her.

The two men yanked the councilman back up onto his feet and began to drag him out the door, followed by Guang-Zhi and the rest of the group.

"We will return when we are finished."

Mulan turned wide-eyed to Pei once they had been left alone.

"It will all be over soon."

She suddenly noticed Shang slumped on the floor.

"What did you do to _him_?" she gasped.

"Don't worry. He is only drugged. We had to do it. If he had been coherent he would have drawn his sword and tried to stop us from capturing Chi Fu. It would have taken several of us to restrain him. Even in his drugged state he was starting to go for his sword. He may wake up with a headache, but otherwise he'll be fine."

Mulan bit her lip as she looked at Shang. She had been forcing herself not to feel and not to think about anything from before, including him. She had almost forgotten just how handsome Shang was.

"Are we just going to leave him there?"

"For now. At least until Guang-Zhi and the others come back."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan stepped outside. She needed to get out of there. She was terribly upset after seeing Shang. She didn't want to die, and she knew that he was the one that had been sent to execute her, or at least to bring her back to the Imperial City to be executed; but she didn't want anything to happen to him either. She cared about him too much; she had always been attracted to him, from the first day that she was in his army camp dressed as Ping, and she had really come to care about him.

She knew she was being foolish and she was upset at herself for that, too. But she sincerely hoped that Pei and his friends wouldn't harm him.

After she had been discovered in the Tung Shao Pass she'd had serious doubts about her reasons for taking her father's place in the army. Those doubts flooded her again now, and she wondered why she had always been so incapable of leading the life of a normal woman. In her village she had always been known as Fa Zhou's beautiful but odd and unruly daughter. Even before she had gone to the matchmaker, most people had clicked their tongues at her and whispered that she would never grow up to be a proper young woman.

The other girls in her village had had an easy time passing the matchmaker's test. But Mulan just wasn't able to get her mind into everything that she needed to know for that test. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to pass it. She just couldn't seem to keep things like the final admonition in her head. She had always been more interested in reading the books in their home, like Sun-Tzu. And those were the things that she'd had an easy time remembering.

She'd never been like other girls and she knew that it was something that her mother had always worried about. She had always been more interested in riding Khan, in learning Kung-Fu from her father, in reading. It was unusual for girls in her village to learn to read. But she considered herself lucky in that her grandmother knew how and had taught her.

It was even more unusual for girls in her village, or anywhere for that matter, to learn Kung-Fu; but she had always had an interest in it and she was the only daughter of a great and famous warrior who always wanted to make his only child happy. And she supposed he had wanted to pass his knowledge on to someone. He had no son, so he had been willing to teach his daughter.

Still. He had been so disappointed in her in the end; she had been a disappointment to both of her parents.

She wasn't sure about her grandmother. Her grandmother was outrageous and said whatever came into her head, much to the dismay and embarrassment of both of her parents; but she was also a very wise woman. Many times she had overheard her grandmother talking to her father, reminding him of how intelligent and unusual her granddaughter and his daughter was; and that she believed that Mulan was a girl that had the potential to make her own path in the world. Her grandmother, at least, had a very high opinion of her. If anyone in her family would forgive her and accept her back, it would be her grandmother.

But what kind of path had she made for herself? She knew she had done the right thing in going to the Imperial City to warn Shang and the others; everyone's lives were at stake. And she knew she had done the right thing when she got involved and made sure that their Emperor was not harmed. But she had to admit that even though she had been aware that the punishment for impersonating a man and a soldier was grounds for her execution, she had been hoping for a different outcome.

Mulan leaned against one of the supports of the overhang in front of the inn, the same way she had leaned against the column of her home the last night she was there, when she had run out of the house after the terrible argument with her father.

"No, no, don't think about it," she told herself, closing her eyes.

"Mulan, what's wrong?" Mushu asked.

She didn't answer. She slid down to her knees against the post, her hands grasping it, and pressed her face against it. Mushu hopped from her shoulder to the ground and stood in front of her.

"Nothing," she muttered.

"It's the captain, isn't it?"

She wiped away a tear that had started fall. "I just get sad when I think of home, that's all."

The cricket stood up on his hind legs and chirped indignantly at Mushu.

"I'm not trying to make her cry. I was only trying to find out what's wrong," he answered defensively.

Mushu hopped up onto her shoulder again and began to pat her comfortingly.

"Come on, Mulan. It'll be okay. At least you found some people who are on your side and who are willing to protect you."

"I know, Mushu. Sometimes I just have bad moments. But I know I am really lucky to have found these people. And I _am_ grateful for it."


	12. At Guang Zhi's House

**Chapter 12: At Guang-Zhi's House**

Pei and Mulan had been asked to join the others at Guang-Zhi's house. Mulan was a little nervous about being there. She knew she would have to see Chi Fu, and he would see her. But Pei brought her into the room from behind Chi Fu, so he didn't see her. Still, she was puzzled as to why she had been brought there.

They had taken the gag off of Chi Fu, but his body was completely bound with ropes. The men were interrogating him about the layout of the Imperial Palace, about the number of guards there and about other information that they obviously wanted in order to infiltrate the Imperial Palace when it came time to carry out their plans.

The interrogation turned to the Tung Shao Pass and the attack that had cost the lives of General Li and his troops. They were intimating that the incident had occurred because of the poor orders that the Emperor had given, which then got passed on to the general by Chi Fu.

Mulan pondered that. After they had left that burning village near the Tung Shao Pass she had wondered how it was that a seasoned general like Shang's father had so easily been defeated. She knew that Shan-Yu had been ruthless and cunning and his army was huge. But it stood to reason that the general would have been more prepared than he was. If he was given faulty orders or bad information, though, that could explain why he'd been defeated so easily.

A large man that Mulan had never seen before was sitting beside Pei and her, his arms folded, listening to the interrogation but saying nothing.

Pei caught her attention and gestured to the man. Then he leaned in and whispered to her, "That is the general we are helping."

"Maybe the Emperor's orders weren't poor, but you twisted them around and it was your fault," another man was saying to the councilman. "We all know you never liked General Li. Maybe you were trying to arrange it so that he would be harmed."

"I twisted nothing around. The general and his troops are dead because the general was arrogant," Chi Fu retorted. "The Emperor's orders were fine, but he was arrogant and did what he wanted. He disobeyed the Emperor and it was his own fault that it happened. He got what he deserved."

The man closest to the councilman slapped him. "All of those troops would have been killed if General Li had followed the Emperor's order to the letter."

"They _were_ all killed," Chi Fu sneered.

The general that was sitting beside her stood up now and strode slowly but purposefully around the chair that Chi Fu was bound in and came around to face him, taking over the interrogation. The general was a handsome man but his eyes were like daggers as he looked at the councilman and Mulan knew from his expression that he was the one that was going to kill him, and fairly soon from the looks of it.

She heard Chi Fu gasp at the sight of the general. He obviously knew him and was shocked to see him.

"Not all, Chi Fu," said the general sternly. "General Li was an excellent and shrewd commander. He knew the Emperor's order was unwise. And he sent me ahead to lead a group through the Tung Shao Pass and back to the Imperial City _before_ the Huns arrived at that village, just in case something went wrong. Which obviously happened. I, and the men who came with me, owe our lives to the general for his foresight and excellent judgment. We were there waiting at the Imperial City so we could defend it in the event that something went wrong and the Hun army arrived there. Fortunately, thanks to Fa Mulan and the troop she was with, the Hun army didn't make it. Only Shan-Yu and a handful of foot soldiers arrived when everyone least expected it."

The general motioned to Pei to take Mulan out of the room, and he obeyed, indicating for her to follow him. Pei shut the door behind them as they stepped out into the hall.

Mulan was shocked at the high pitch at which Chi Fu could scream.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan and Pei sat together in Guang-Zhi's sitting room, talking.

"Pei, why did they want me here?"

"The general wanted to make sure you know what is going on. He will want to talk to you. He knows that you are a very talented strategist. That will come in handy when it comes time to carry out a plan to infiltrate the palace."

"Are you sure Chi Fu was telling the truth about the layout of the palace and all that?"

"No, but it doesn't matter. The general knows the layout of the palace at least as well as Chi Fu. They were just questioning him about different things to tire him out and weaken him for when they got down to questioning him about the real issue."

"You mean about the Tung Shao Pass?"

"Yes."

"Was it really the Emperor himself that caused the destruction of the entire troop that was defending that village?"

"Yes, it was the Emperor's order."

Mulan was silent, turning that over in her mind.

"Why would the Emperor give such a poor order? Is he just stupid?"

"That's hard to say. Both General Li and our general had other suspicions about the situation. Fortunately, that isn't an issue anymore, thanks to you."

"So, what about Shang, Pei? We left him on the floor in the inn."

"He will be fine. We have been trying to protect him, too."

She looked at him quizzically.

"We all know that he spared your life in the Tung Shao Pass. He joined you and went along with your plan to rescue the Emperor from Shan-Yu in the Imperial City. And it is very obvious how concerned he is about your wound and your well being; this is not someone who would actually be willing to kill you. We have been protecting you from the councilman, not from the captain."

"I wasn't sure. But you have seen him more recently than I have."

"The Emperor ordered him to chase you down and execute you; or capture you for execution. But none of us have ever thought he had any intention of carrying out that order. And the Emperor knew that, too. He was just disposing of him. Chi Fu was sent with him, not just to make sure he carried out the order, but to kill him."

"You think the Emperor gave Chi Fu orders to kill Shang?"

"Probably. Or maybe he didn't have orders. Maybe he was planning to do it on his own. Either way we are sure he would have harmed the captain if we hadn't captured him. We were not going to let that happen. Our general was a good friend to General Li and would not let anything happen to his son."


	13. The General

**Chapter 13: The General**

Shang's eyelids fluttered open as he woke from very deep sleep. He didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there. He was lying on his back on the floor and he glanced around. He saw all of the tables above him and realized that he was in the main room of the inn. The sun was just starting to come up and there was no one else in the room.

He closed his eyes again. He suddenly remembered Chi Fu being restrained by the men in the room. His eyelids flew open now and he sat up abruptly. A wave of dizziness came over him and he lay back down, waiting for it to subside.

What had happened?

He remembered sitting at the table with Chi Fu. And he remembered how sleepy he'd suddenly felt. He had been drinking rice wine, but he'd only had one cup. One cup of wine shouldn't have knocked him out so. Unless he was more tired than he thought. Or perhaps he had been drugged.

He realized with alarm that that was exactly what had happened. That would explain everything, including the odd taste he'd noticed in the wine. Pei had brought the wine to them. But he couldn't understand why Pei would have wanted to drug him. Were they trying to rob them?

The dizziness passed and he sat up, slowly this time. He looked around. The inn was deserted. He stood up slowly and went to his room to check to see if he had been robbed. His things were still in the room and his pack, which was sitting on the desk, appeared to be untouched. He rifled through it but found that nothing appeared to have been stolen.

He wondered about Chi Fu. What had happened to him? Were those men trying to rob him? He remembered the loud argument about Mulan. Was that why those men had attacked the councilman? And how did they know all those things about what had happened in the Imperial City and about her?

He went to wash up, and that revived him somewhat. Then he left his room and walked down the hall to the councilman's room. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He opened the door slowly. The councilman's things were in there, but he wasn't.

He went out and took another look in the main room of the inn and peeked in the kitchen. There was no one there besides him. The place seemed to be completely abandoned.

He tried to remember the events of the night before. There had been the loud argument about Mulan. And he remembered a comment about the Tung Shao Pass: that they were lucky she had been there to save them, given the precarious position the country had been in after the Emperor's lousy orders to the general in the Tung Shao Pass that cost the lives of the entire troop stationed there.

Had he imagined that he heard that? He knew that he had been drugged. Maybe in his drugged state he had imagined that comment, and the familiarity of the voice that said it.

It disturbed him to think that his father and the entire elite regiment of the Imperial army might have been killed because of the Emperor's bad judgment and poor orders. And the fact that someone in this village could _know_ about that meant that things were not at all what they seemed there.

This was no ordinary village.

**xxxxxxx**

The general stepped out of the room where they had been interrogating Chi Fu and joined Mulan and Pei.

The general looked at Mulan and gave her a kind smile. She couldn't help but be shocked that he could have such a kind expression after the look she'd seen him give Chi Fu.

"It is an honor, Fa Mulan," he addressed her.

She was even more shocked that he said that.

"I am Lao Tzi. I am glad to see that you made it here safely and are well."

"Thank you, sir," she answered.

She felt somewhat nervous even though he was obviously kind and had surrounded himself with kind allies. There was something so powerful and imposing about the man. No wonder everyone here followed him without question.

"How is my friend Fa Zhou? It has been awhile since I have seen him."

"You're friends with my father?"

"Yes. We served together under General Li. He is an honorable and excellent warrior."

"He was," she answered, softly.

"That was quite a brave thing you did, taking his place like that. Reckless, but brave. He should never have received a conscription notice."

"I know. I tried to explain it to Chi Fu. He wouldn't listen."

The general nodded. "But you had an opportunity to really prove yourself, Fa Mulan. You obviously have your father's strategic talents."

"Thank you, sir."

"As I'm sure Pei and Guang-Zhi have already told you, those talents would come in handy."

"I would be happy to help. I am grateful to all of you for protecting me. I still don't know very much about the Emperor and all of the things he has done."

"Yes. I will talk to you and the captain about everything that has happened. You have a right to know if you are helping. And this matter involves the captain."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang sat at one of the tables in the main room of the inn, still trying to make sense of everything that had been happening in this village and feeling bewildered.

He looked up as, a moment later, Pei walked in the room with a man that he knew.

"General Lao?" he exclaimed, astonished. He stood up quickly and bowed.

"Captain Li."

"What is going on? I…" he trailed off and glanced at Pei. "I think that these people drugged me last night."

"Yes, Captain, they did," the general told him. "But it was for your own protection."

"My protection?"

"You would have tried to stop us from capturing Chi Fu."

Shang just stared at him, waiting for him to explain.

"We had specific plans for Chi Fu. And we needed to prevent him from harming you. We think he had orders to kill you after you caught up to Fa Mulan."

Shang nodded. "That had occurred to me. I thought the Emperor might have been sending me after her to dispatch with me."

"Well, he won't harm you or her."

"Mulan…how is she?" he asked, turning to Pei.

"She is fine, Captain."

"But her wound…"

"She is fine. We lied to throw the councilman off and to keep you both here in town."

"Where is she?"

"She's living and working here at the inn."

"Then I _did_ see her yesterday," he murmured. "Is she here now?"

Pei shook his head.

"Captain, I have a lot of things that I must tell you," General Lao began, changing the subject. "There are things that you should know about your father and about what happened in that village at the Tung Shao Pass."


	14. Meetings

**Chapter 14: Meetings**

The sounds from the room in which the men had been interrogating Chi Fu had long since stopped and the sun was coming up now. Guang-Zhi stepped out of the room and caught her eye, motioning to a room off to the side. She stood up and started toward the room, understanding that he didn't want her to see something. As she was closing the door behind her she caught a glimpse of the rest of the men coming out of the room, carrying something heavy, and immediately knew what he hadn't wanted her to see.

She went and sat down on the couch in the room. Mushu and Cri-Kee hopped up and perched themselves beside her.

She held out her hand to the cricket and he jumped onto it.

"Well, I guess you've proven yourself to be lucky after all," she told him, bringing her hand up toward her face so she could talk directly to him. "That's why I found these nice people who really are on my side."

"Yeah, maybe he didn't lie to me after all," Mushu commented.

Cri-Kee turned to Mushu and chirped at him.

"Pei and General Lao went back to the inn to revive Shang and talk to him. I don't know why they didn't want me to go with them," Mulan mused, feeling somewhat puzzled by their decision.

"Maybe they just wanted to make sure that he was a friend and not an enemy before they let him see you."

"Maybe. But Pei said they didn't think he had any intention of harming me. I think they are right. You know, when Chi Fu was approaching me in the Imperial City, after the palace was on fire, Shang stood between Chi Fu and the rest of us. He looked angry, and I could have sworn he was about to say something to Chi Fu."

"Yeah. I think he was."

"I thought maybe I was just reading into things, seeing what I wanted to see. But maybe he was actually going to defend me and didn't have a chance to." She was silent for a few moments, playing the scene over in her mind. "It's just as well, given the Emperor's actions. If Shang had spoken up and the Emperor had heard him, he would have sentenced him to death, too."

"Well, according to what Pei said, he did sentence him to death, in reality. He sent Chi Fu with him to kill him."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang sat in the main room beside General Lao, listening quietly as the general explained how his father had known that he would be putting everyone in a dangerous situation if he followed the Emperor's order to the letter.

"The Imperial City was left completely undefended in the event that the Hun army got through their defense in the Tung Shao Pass. And your father and I both knew that there were other things that just weren't right. Your father decided that I should go ahead through the Tung Shao Pass with a group of men and get back to the Imperial City. We were there, ready to defend it in the event that the Hun army got through the general's defense. Fortunately, your troop came and stopped them in the Tung Shao Pass. Just Shan-Yu and a handful of men made it to Chang'an."

He stopped talking and watched Shang for a few minutes, as if he wanted to let it sink in before he continued.

"I…she was the one that stopped them," Shang finally said softly. "Mulan. It was her idea. In the Tung Shao Pass and in the Imperial City, too."

"I know. But you were a good leader, Li Shang. It was your first command and you handled yourself very well. You were a leader, but you were wise enough to be willing to listen to the ideas of your subordinates. Your father would have been very proud of you."

"Thank you, sir," he answered sadly.

"And it is thanks to your father that I am alive, as well as several other soldiers of the Imperial army."

The general finished talking and gestured toward Shang. "You must have some questions."

"Sir," Shang began. "I…I'm sorry. I don't even know where to begin. What is going on in this village? What are you doing here? And how does everyone here know so much? I mean…you were all protecting me from Chi Fu…how did you know we would be coming here? And Mulan…they've been protecting her, too…" He trailed off. Too many questions were coming into his mind and he felt like he couldn't ask them fast enough, or even coherently enough.

General Lao understood. He laughed warmly and put a comforting hand on Shang's shoulder. "I will explain everything to you, Li Shang."

**xxxxxxx**

Pei returned to Guang-Zhi's house shortly after the sun was up and beckoned Mulan to return to the inn with him.

"The captain is doing just fine. The general has spoken to him about some of this. He will talk to both of you after the three of us have had some sleep. The captain is the only one who slept through the night," Pei chuckled as he said the last part.

"I guess you're both certain that he is a friend?"

Pei laughed. "Yes. You guessed that was the reason why you were made to wait here?"

"Sort of," she answered, glancing at Mushu, who peeked out at her from inside her sleeve.

They entered the inn and met the general, who was on his way out.

"I am going back to Guang-Zhi's house to get some sleep. After the two of you have rested, we will meet here and talk with the captain. I have told him about everything, including our communications network and the protection everyone was giving Fa Mulan."

"Does he know that his father knew about all of this?"

"I told him."

"Was General Li involved in this?" Mulan asked.

"No. He was an honorable man who knew his duty to his country and could not bring himself to act against the Emperor, no matter what he thought of him. But he knew about our movement; and while he didn't involve himself, he also didn't stand in our way or let on to anyone about it."

"Is the captain still around?" Pei asked.

"He went back to his room to sleep some more. And now we all need to sleep. We will talk later when we have all rested. Now that the Emperor's lackey is taken care of, it is time to go into action and implement a plan."

**xxxxxxx**

It was raining heavily when Shang woke again. He had no idea what time of the day it was but he sensed that it was probably the afternoon. The sun had been up earlier and now it was suddenly pouring. He never slept late like this, but he was still tired and he was still trying to get his mind around everything that General Lao had told him. He lay awake for a little while, listening to the sound of the rain beating on the roof, then he forced himself to get out of bed. He washed and dressed and went out to the main room. Pei was there already.

"Good morning, Captain. I am on my way out for a little while, but I can get you some tea before I go if you would like."

Shang thanked him but declined politely. Pei hurried out, telling him he would see him later when they met with General Lao.

Shang sat down at one of the tables and stared out the window at the downpour. It had been raining heavily for awhile and he could see that the streets were already flooded and muddy.

He turned away from the window when he heard the sound of soft, small footsteps and rose from his chair.

"Mulan."

"Shang. Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'm glad to see you…that you're alright."

"I'm fine. I'm glad you're okay. I was afraid that they would hurt you because you were coming after me."

She crossed the room and sat down at the table, and he took his seat again.

"Mulan, are you involved with what these people are doing?"

"I am now. I want to help them. And even though I don't know everything about it yet, from what I do know, it seems like the right thing to do. I think that if the general knows someone that would rule the country more wisely and justly…then it is worth it. He's going to tell us more about it later."

Shang nodded. "I don't know very much about it either. But I know that if he can pass a death sentence on you after everything you did for him and for all of us…there is something wrong with that. I've been thinking that during my entire journey here."

"Chi Fu is gone," she told him.

"I know. General Lao told me about how everyone has been protecting you. They all acknowledge that you're a hero…uh, heroine. You didn't deserve to be sentenced to death. I'm glad that so many people can see that."

She smiled.

Shang hesitated for a moment, then he spoke again. "I've been thinking about you a lot. I'm glad you're alive…I can't believe it…Well, what I mean is, after what has happened and all the times that I thought you…I knew that your wound had re-opened."

"It did. But I went to a medic in one of the villages on the way here and got it re-stitched."

"Yes. I spoke to him. I knew it was you, even though he said it was a boy. He told me that he tried to get you to stay there, but you wouldn't."

"I didn't know anyone knew about me. I certainly didn't think they would be protecting me. I had to keep moving."

"Your wound could have re-opened a second time. That would have been very dangerous."

"I know. But I was afraid to stay anywhere. Then I got here and they told me they knew me and wouldn't harm me. And then I found that they were actually going to put a stop to Chi Fu."

"Mulan, they lied to us and told us that your wound did re-open and that you were at Guang-Zhi's house dying."

Mulan laughed. "They wanted to make sure you both stayed in town. But I don't know why they had to make it so dramatic."

"I was worried…you've had so many close calls lately. The Tung Shao Pass…" he trailed off.

"You spared my life there. Thank you for that. I know how angry my deception made you."

"I was angry. But I understand why you did it. Mulan, I want you to know that I wouldn't harm you. I know the Emperor ordered me to…but I wasn't going to do it. I couldn't. I didn't know what I was going to do. But I knew I couldn't hurt you. You saved my life twice."

"Well…I didn't want anything to happen to you," she answered softly, her face looking slightly flushed. She stood up hurriedly. "I'm going to make myself some tea. Would you like some also?"

He nodded. "Thank you."

"I'll be right back."

Shang began to smile as he watched her disappear into the kitchen.


	15. Forming Plans

A/N: Many thanks to those who have read and reviewed. Another chapter up!

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 15: Forming Plans**

General Lao and Pei returned to the inn as Mulan came out with tea for her and Shang, and they sat at the table and talked.

"Li Shang, as it turns out, it was a good thing that your troop got to the Tung Shao Pass; but I was wondering how you ended up coming to be there," Lao began.

"We got word from my father."

Lao shook his head. "That isn't possible. Your father knew that the situation was not right. I don't think he had any intention of having you join him at the front. That's why he left it up to Chi Fu to decide when you were ready. He figured Chi Fu would want to put you down and never send word that you were ready."

"But Chi Fu is the one who brought me the letter from my father."

"I don't understand. I really didn't think your father would send for you. But I guess Chi Fu had no reason to make it up."

"No, sir. He was with us, and he knew he was coming with us."

Mulan's eye was caught by Cri-Kee and Mushu perched in the corner of the room; the cricket was gesturing frantically at Mushu. She nodded at the cricket, understanding that somehow the little dragon was involved in the mysterious letter from Shang's father, then fixed Mushu with a scowl, letting him know that she would want answers later.

"Well, I guess we'll never know exactly what happened."

"I guess," Shang repeated, looking puzzled.

"But I have other things to talk to you about. Both of you. There is a man named Fong who is one of the Emperor's aides. He is almost as close to the Emperor as Chi Fu was. He is well respected by everyone and there are many that feel that he would be a very good ruler. He has good ideas, he is fair in his dealings with all people and he is very unhappy with the way the Emperor has squandered the resources of the country. This Emperor is greedy and corrupt and there are people in these villages and on the farms who are just barely eking out a living because of his lifestyle and his policies."

"What about Chi Fu?" Shang asked. "How was he involved in this, that every one of you wanted him out of the way? I know you were protecting Mulan. And me. But was there anything else?"

"Yes. Chi Fu caused a lot of problems for everyone. He was very close to the Emperor and he put a lot of things into the Emperor's head that made trouble for people. Guang-Zhi lost his son because Chi Fu told the Emperor that there was a rebellion in one of the villages because a person spoke up when a new decree was announced and expressed the concerns of the villagers whose livelihoods were being affected. That's just one example. Also, Chi Fu is the one who gave Fa Zhou the conscription notice."

"Chi Fu is the one that did that?"

"Yes," Mulan answered now. "I tried to explain to him about his wound, but he wouldn't listen."

"And the fact that he wanted to harm you was enough of a reason for me, Li Shang. And he always had it in for your father."

"I know that he hated me," Shang commented, thoughtfully. "And my father. I don't really know why."

"He was a miserable person. He came from a poor family, but he was very intelligent and he was one of the young men that excelled on his civil service exams. He retained a high post in the palace very quickly and rose up through the ranks to become the Emperor's number one councilman. He was one of the only people in the palace from such a background; and he never got over the fact that he had to work so much harder than richer, more privileged boys that surrounded him. He couldn't have tutors because his family couldn't afford it. He really did work very hard and got where he was on his own. But once he got there, he still resented people like you and your father. And at the same time he hated the common people, too. I guess they reminded him of where he came from."

They all fell silent for a minute suddenly. Then General Lao spoke again.

"Now that Chi Fu will not be around to warn the Emperor or interfere with anything, we can start to come up with a plan. The rest of the group will be here tonight and we will discuss this in detail. It is time for us to be moving out soon, toward Chang'an. We need to start heading toward Gao-Rong's village to join with his group. And we need to start thinking of a plan to get into the city inconspicuously, and then into the palace."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan went to work in the kitchen shortly after their discussion with the general. Mushu and Cri-Kee sat in the kitchen with her while she worked and she demanded that the little dragon tell her exactly what the story was with the letter from Shang's father.

Mushu's reason for doing what he did was selfish, of course. But she had to laugh at his story of the straw dummy in an Imperial uniform, riding a panda no less, giving Chi Fu 'urgent news from the general'.

"So, with all your other talents, Mushu, you're also a puppeteer."

Pei came in to talk to her a few minutes later, leaving Shang to talk to his father's friend.

"Hopefully no one will recognize you when you enter the Imperial City. They may not remember what you look like exactly. But just in case, you should be dressed as a boy again."

She nodded. "I was thinking that. Are you going with us?"

"Yes."

"What about this place?"

Pei shrugged. "Either I will get someone to look after it or I will close it up. It has served more as a front than as an inn most of the time."

**xxxxxxx**

Everyone was gathered in the main room once again and Mulan and Shang were sitting with them.

"We will be leaving to meet up with the others in the villages closer to Chang'an," the general told them. "When we're done here, we need to get a message out to Fong and the others in the city to let them know."

"They will hopefully have an idea of how we should get in when they send us a return message," one of the men suggested.

General Lao nodded. "We should have a few plans made, just in case one doesn't seem like it will work."

"Well, we need to enter the city in small groups. Large numbers would be too conspicuous and the city and palace are too heavily guarded," Guang-Zhi suggested.

"Yeah, but even if we're in small, inconspicuous groups, we're not going to just walk in there," Pei remarked. "There are checkpoints at the entrances. We would all need to have different but plausible reasons for being there."

"Unless we lay siege to the city, openly," said General Lao. "Our forces would have to be well-organized. We need to get in contact with the villages to the east and west of Chang'an as well."

"I still think the city and palace are too heavily guarded. Even with all of our forces combined and well-organized, we would still be at a disadvantage, General," Guang-Zhi spoke up again. "Besides, many of the men are villagers and farmers who have learned to fight; but they are not soldiers. I think it would be better to come up with a way to enter the city inconspicuously. If we are a large force, they will be ready to defend themselves against us."

"What if we can come up with a distraction of some sort?" Mulan asked.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"What kind of distraction?" the general asked.

"Well, we would have to think of one. But if we can create something to divert their attention to one place, we can enter from another place without being seen. Maybe set up an open attack from one side that isn't really the attack. While they are busy defending themselves against that first open attack, everyone else enters from a different direction."

"That's the kind of idea your father would come up with," General Lao chuckled. "Let's see if we can come up with a good distraction."

"Well, like she suggested, a group can attack openly from one direction. Of course, that group would be sacrificed."

"Not necessarily," the general said. "They could just be set up as if they were going to attack, but not actually do anything. Their mere presence would be the distraction."

"Perhaps a distraction _in_ the city?"

"We would still have to find a way for all of us to get in there inconspicuously so that we could set up the distraction. No, I think the distraction has to be set up outside the city," Pei argued.

"Agreed," said the general

"What if we can set up an illusion that there is another attack from the Huns?" Mulan suggested.

"How? By starting a rumor?"

"Well, that too. But I have another idea. Do you have a network set up in the villages to the north at all?"

"No. We would have to arrange for groups from the northern-most villages to the east and west to circumvent the city in order to arrive from the north."

"Are you suggesting that the open attack be from the north so that they think it's the Huns attacking?" Shang asked.

"Not exactly," Mulan answered, thinking about Mushu's story.

She began to explain her idea to them.


	16. Moving Out

**Chapter 16: Moving Out**

After everyone dispersed, a messenger was sent immediately to pass along information to the next village and on through the villages to Fong in Chang'an and to advise that messengers be sent to the east and west to pass the dispatch along through those networks. Instructions were given to the point person in each village, advising them to organize their forces and be prepared to meet at the designated place outside of Chang'an once the word was given.

Mulan went to her room to sleep for a few hours. They would be preparing to leave in the morning. They would be meeting up with Gao-Rong in his village and they would be joined by people in the other villages along the way.

"I hope you're going to give me credit for your idea, Mulan," Mushu chided her as she washed and readied herself for bed. "It was because of me telling you about my fake Imperial officer that you even came up with that straw dummy idea."

"I know it, Mushu. But no one else knows about you. And I can't tell them. Besides, I don't want Shang finding out that you gave him a fake letter from his father to get us into the war."

"He won't do anything. He's your friend now."

"Yeah, I guess he is. But he still might do something to _you_ if he ever found out," she teased.

There was a knock on her door then. She threw her clothes back on and crossed over to the door, Mushu and Cri-Kee hopping over with her.

"Who is it?"

"Shang."

She opened the door, smiling. "Hi."

"Who were you talking to?"

She just stared at him, trying to feign ignorance. "What?"

"I heard you talking…"

Cri-Kee conveniently hopped into the palm of her hand at that point, so she brought it up and showed him the cricket.

"A cricket?"

She nodded. "This is Cri-Kee. My grandmother gave him to me before I left home, for luck. Well…it was supposed to be for luck for something else, not for joining the army. But he came with me and he's been with me all along."

"Oh."

"You came here to find out who I was talking to?"

"Oh. No. Um, I just…I heard you talking when I got to the door."

"Oh. Well…was there…?"

"I wanted to...well, you may be recognized in the Imperial City. I was thinking that you should disguise yourself as Ping again when we go in."

"I thought the same thing, and Pei and I were talking about it earlier. That's what I'll be doing."

He nodded. "Good."

"Thank you, Shang."

He nodded again.

"Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mulan."

She shut the door and grinned at Mushu, who was standing there staring at her with his arms folded.

"What? I didn't do anything. _He_ came here."

**xxxxxxx**

They had been up half the night talking. It was late now and Shang was tired, but he couldn't fall asleep.

He lay awake thinking about General Lao and everything he had told him about his father. He could hardly believe that his father knew about the organization of this rebellion. He had never said anything, and he had never stood in their way; maybe his father had agreed with Lao and the others but just didn't get involved. Maybe he couldn't be involved; after all, he had been away a lot. His father had always been off somewhere, fighting in the wars that the Emperor declared. Except for when the Huns attacked and all forces were needed, Lao hadn't been out fighting like his father; he'd been stationed in the Imperial City, guarding the palace and becoming aware of everything that went on there.

It was also hard to believe that _he_ was now involved with this movement against the Emperor, when just a few weeks before he had forced himself to put aside his grief over his father and lead his troops to defend that same Emperor. And it was amazing how Mulan had stumbled into this whole thing; and that he had, too, in coming after her. General Lao believed that once they had the new Emperor in power he would reverse Mulan's sentence, as well as Shang's. He hoped that would be the case.

He thought about Mulan. He was relieved that she was all right and had been protected by these villagers. And he was pleased that there were so many people that agreed with him that she didn't deserve to be executed. They knew what she had done and honored her for her bravery and selflessness.

She was no longer disguised as a boy in this village. She didn't have to be. And he'd been able to take a really good look at her as a girl. She really was lovely. And funny. He grinned as he thought about the cricket she had shown him. She didn't even have the cricket in a cage; it could have run off easily yet it didn't. It stayed with her. A faithful steed that protected her and a lucky cricket that went everywhere with her. It somehow seemed very characteristic that she would be surrounded by such special creatures that would be so loyal to her.

He thought about the strategies that Mulan came up with that night. The girl was brilliant. Even when he knew her as Ping before they left Wu Zhong, he had realized that she was exceptionally smart. But he became convinced that she was a genius after the incident in the Tung Shao Pass. He thought that she had gone completely out of her mind when she ran off, charging toward the Hun army with that cannon. But she had turned the entire outcome of the battle around. Shang and his small band of foot soldiers were destined to die against Shan-Yu's huge army that day; but instead, because of her brilliant, unbelievable move with a single cannon, the entire Hun army was buried, except for Shan-Yu and a handful of men that managed to escape. And Shang and all of his men lived.

He didn't know where she got her ideas. And now this new plan that she'd come up with tonight was incredible. Lao remarked that it was the kind of idea that her father would have come up with. She had obviously inherited her father's talents. The plan was so elaborate it was ridiculous, and required, in part, the labor of all of the people in those villages that were lucky enough to have the task of creating her little ruse. But it was brilliant.

He had never known anyone like her in his life.

He remembered the night in the Tung Shao Pass when he had held her father's sword above her head. He shivered as he thought about what would have happened if he had gone through with carrying out the Emperor's law. He would have had to live the rest of his life filled with remorse for killing her and China would be under the rule of Shan-Yu. Many of them would be dead. And she wouldn't be here now, her sharp, agile mind working selflessly to help other people.

He was glad that he would be seeing her and working with her again now.

**xxxxxxx**

General Lao and Guang-Zhi had left immediately after they all dispersed the night before. That morning, everyone else set forth in several small groups, Mulan riding alongside Pei and Shang as they all headed north. Their destination was a village very close to Chang'an that she had bypassed originally when she had been riding south, sticking to the forest at that time. Everything had been worked out very quickly and everyone from all of the villages along the way would converge in this one place. They would be waiting there for word from the groups in the northern-most villages to the east and west of the city advising that they were prepared; then they would be moving to the southern entrance of the Imperial City where they would wait for signs of chaos in the city signaling that it was time to go into action.

Mulan was glad that she would be with Shang everyday now. Of course, it was the last thing she should have been worrying about. They were trying to pull off something very difficult and if they were caught they would all be executed. But she enjoyed talking to him during the ride north and he was very attentive to her.

Despite the danger they were in, she couldn't help but be happy that he was there and that she could see him and talk to him all the time.

**xxxxxxx**

Gao-Rong and Wen greeted Mulan warmly when she met them again at Gao-Rong's inn with Pei and Shang, and Wen suggested that he should take a look at her wound and the stitches. She went with him to his home. As she suspected, everything was fine now and the wound was healing nicely. It wouldn't be long before the stitches could be removed.

They set off toward the meeting spot after just a day in that village, joined by Gao-Rong. The others from that village had already gone ahead.

"You didn't pass through any of the villages we're going to now, did you, Fa Mulan?" Gao-Rong asked as they rode north.

She shook her head. "I stayed hidden in the forest when I could."

"These people will be very glad to meet you."

Mulan nodded, remaining silent. In every village they'd passed through already, people had greeted her as 'Fa Mulan, China's heroine' and 'Fa Mulan, the woman warrior that saved China'. It was a welcome difference from other treatment she'd received; such as the death sentence, of course, and the attitude she'd received from Chi Fu and others like him. But it was still rather overwhelming for her.

As flattering as it was, she was relieved to leave the villages. She felt undeserving of such praise. She hadn't been trying to be a heroine or anything else. She had merely done what she thought was right.

One evening, Mulan sat with Pei and had a long talk with him. She had been curious about the fact that the moment she and the captain were both in his village, they had decided to implement the plan.

"It was a window of opportunity and we seized it. We were able to handle Chi Fu, who reported everything to the Emperor and would have gotten in the way. And we had your strategic talent to help us. As well as Captain Li."

"But what if I hadn't come? What if the Emperor never sentenced me to death?"

Pei shrugged. "It would have happened later. When a different window of opportunity appeared. But I'm glad it worked out this way."

"Yes. So am I. I haven't really thanked you. You were so kind to me when things were really bad for me. You let me rest. You gave me a job. I will always be grateful to you."

"You're a good-hearted person. You saved us all at great sacrifice to yourself. You deserved nothing less than what we did for you, Fa Mulan."

**xxxxxxx**

A/N: More chapters to follow shortly.


	17. Return to Chang'an

A/N: Another chapter up! Many thanks to those who have reviewed. I especially want to thank **Angel452** for reviewing me every step of the way through, even after I went and completely changed the direction the story took.

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 17: Return to Chang'an**

They reached the last village, just on the outskirts of Chang'an. General Lao was already there. Everyone knew the plan, and the strategy had been passed along to the villages in the east and west as well.

"We are waiting for a message from the northeast and northwest villages, advising when they have moved out toward the north. Those entire villages will be almost completely abandoned, as it took everyone in them to create our Mongol puppet army and it will take all of them to set everything up."

"Just as long as they're Hun-sized," Pei quipped.

General Lao had drawn a diagram of the palace and he had designated teams to move out to each entrance to the palace. It would be necessary to have several teams inside to cover each of the Emperor's aides and councilmen and allow for the placement of the new Emperor. The rest of their forces would form a crowd to the north of the palace, setting up a blockade of people and making it impossible for the troops that had moved out north to defend the city to return to the palace. Everyone would be armed. Though it was hoped that the task could be accomplished as bloodlessly as possible, it was understood that it might not be possible.

If all went well, by the time the guard got through the crowd and got into the palace, the task inside the palace would have been carried out already and the palace would be under siege by their forces. Those who had been loyal to the current Emperor would be forced to flee the Imperial City.

"As soon as we get word from those villages, we will send another message to Fong and the others. Then we move out toward the southern entrance of the city. The forces to the east and west will be getting the same message and will do the same. Fong and the others already received our first message and by now have been setting up the rumors so the Emperor will be convinced to send an army to the north. Fong will send another message to me and to each of the other leaders once the forces have been sent out to the north. And then we wait for the signal."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan sat by the river with Khan, Mushu and Cri-Kee, debating whether to go in or not.

"This is not a good idea," Mushu warned.

"But everyone is asleep. I don't want to just go without bathing, Mushu."

"What is the big deal with you and bathing?"

Mulan didn't answer him.

"Besides, every time you wash I have to re-apply that oil to your face to darken it and obscure your features. We're running out and you need to look like Ping in the Imperial City. Or Sheng-Li. Or whatever your name is now."

Mulan sighed. "Oh, alright. Hopefully we'll get out of here soon anyway."

They had been stationed in the forest, south of the Imperial City, ever since they received word from the villagers from the northeast and northwest, remaining quiet and hidden and waiting for the message from Fong indicating that it was time to move into the city.

It had been several days that they had been camping there now. Mulan was used to sleeping outdoors by now, but she still hated going without immersing her body in water. But Mushu was right. She was in a camp full of men who knew who and what she was.

She was just hoping they would get going soon. The waiting was the worst part.

"Mulan?"

Mulan turned to Shang and smiled. Smiling was an involuntary action for her when she heard his voice.

"You're still up, Shang?"

Shang nodded and came to sit down beside her.

"Do you always stay up nights talking to your cricket?"

"Well, I'm used to being up at night now. I was traveling at night so I wouldn't be seen. And then I was working at night, too."

"So, what did your grandmother give you the cricket for? What was it supposed to bring you luck for?"

Mulan looked away, feeling her face turn red. "I'd rather not say."

He was about to speak, then he stopped himself and obviously decided to say something else.

"Pei seems like a good guy."

"He is. He and his friends were very kind to me. When I showed up at his inn I hadn't slept for days. I offered to work in exchange for a bed and a meal and he let me sleep before he put me to work. Then he offered me the job and paid me a little bit of money, too."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, looking at the river.

"General Lao was a good friend of your father's?" she asked, interrupting the silence and turning to look at him.

Shang nodded. "Yes. And he was like an uncle to me. For most of my life, other than my mother, my family has pretty much been the other generals and officers that worked with my father. That's who I was around all the time, except when I was at the academy."

"I heard that you graduated number one in your class. And a year early."

He nodded. "But that's all I did. My whole life was about working at my studies and my training. The others used to go out drinking after class. I didn't. I always went back and studied."

"Are you sorry that you didn't go out with your classmates?"

"Maybe sometimes. I don't know. I was so focused on working at my career and being the best. I never thought about having fun or anything else. Some of the others weren't even interested in military strategy and history the way I was. You seem to be interested in it, though. I was meaning to ask you…how did you come to read Sun-Tzu?"

"My father was an officer of the Imperial Army. He had it in the house."

"Hmm. I bet you didn't even have permission to read it either."

Mulan laughed. "I wasn't told _not_ to read it."

Shang smiled lopsidedly. "You're too much. But I've enjoyed talking about it with you. I never thought I'd be talking about that with a girl."

They both began to talk at the same time, each stopping to let the other one speak first.

"Go ahead," she told him.

"No, it's okay. You go ahead first."

She shrugged. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for deceiving you. I didn't mean to hurt you or anyone. I was just doing what I thought I had to."

"I know. It's okay. I understand why you did it. I shouldn't have taken it so personally."

"What did you want to say?"

"Well, after this is over…whatever the outcome…"

He was interrupted before he could finish.

"Captain Li. Fa Mulan." General Lao had approached the riverbank. "We just received a message from Fong. We need to be prepared to move out."

**xxxxxxx**

They huddled quickly and General Lao told them about the message from Fong. The Emperor was dead already. Several of the councilmen backed Fong and they had come up with a plan to slowly poison the Emperor, putting just a little bit of poison into his food each day. It wasn't enough to kill him at first; just enough for him to remain ill until today, when they finally gave him the fatal dose. To everyone else, it simply appeared as if the Emperor had become ill and remained so for a few weeks before succumbing.

"Troops have already been sent to the north in response to the strong rumors of a possible Hun attack. With any luck, the guard at the southern entrance and the other entrances will go running the minute the troops to the north signal that they've spotted our homemade Hun army. Once they're occupied with the enemy to the north, the palace should be open for us to infiltrate it and set things in action to get Fong on the throne."

They packed up camp quickly and moved closer toward the city, waiting in visual range of the southern entrance and walls.

"That's our cue," General Lao said as the sound of drums and gongs hit their ears from inside the city walls. "They've spotted our 'Mongolian army.' If we heard it all the way here, the groups to the east and west heard it, too. You all know where you're each supposed to go and what to do. Move out!"

They moved nonchalantly into the city, breaking off into the teams that General Lao had designated. Several of their forces had moved toward the northern entrance, becoming a wall of people and blocking the palace guard from getting through and back to the palace. The rest of them went to their designated entrances and infiltrated the palace. The attention of the guards was on the chaos that was ensuing to the north of the city, and the fact that it was night worked to their advantage also; all teams slipped into the palace unseen and it was now under siege.

**xxxxxxx**

It was late morning and the city was in chaos. The troops that had been dispatched to the north the night before realized quite quickly that they were facing an army of straw dummies when the 'Mongol army' just stood there without fighting or even moving. When they turned around and returned to the city, they found a mob scene of people blocking their path to the palace.

In the palace, the few members of the council and other members of the court that were against the idea of Fong becoming Emperor were forced to flee when the teams laid siege to the palace. The Emperor had no son and there was no apparent rightful heir to the throne. And now the fighting in the streets worked to the advantage of Fong's allies, convincing their adversaries further that a rebellion was taking place due to the death of the Emperor.

**xxxxxxx**

A/N: More to follow shortly.


	18. Fong

A/N: Thanks to all for reviewing and for your interest in this fic. This has been a really difficult fic for me to write and I have a real love/hate relationship with it. When I first began it, I had about five different ideas as to what direction I considered taking it, but now I'm not sure if I chose the right one. I actually took this fic off of the site once, changed it completely and reposted, completed it, then decided to change the ending after finding that there were inconsistencies in the original ending. This is the new incarnation of the ending, similar to what I had but with some things fixed. There is a final chapter and an epilogue. Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks!

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 18: Fong**

A guard was set up at all entrances to the palace, including the windows, and Shang, Mulan, Pei and Guang-Zhi remained with General Lao.

"What's the plan?" Pei asked the general.

"We wait," he answered. "We have enough food to last for weeks in the palace. I cannot say the same for our adversaries. They will be exhausted and starving before long. Their ranks are already in chaos due to Fa Mulan's clever ruse. It has created the confusion that we needed."

"Who was around when the Emperor died, General?" Guang-Zhi asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Was anyone present in the room with him?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"It would seem that we might be able to end this quickly, and peacefully. The Emperor has no son, no rightful heir to the throne. That leaves us in chaos, with a battle over succession. But what if the Emperor designated his successor? With no son, and no family, perhaps he chose his most clever councilman?"

"Now that's an interesting idea."

"The thing is, if anyone was there to know that isn't true, we will be faced with another rebellion before long, against Fong," Pei cautioned.

"Or else it can just be said that Fong declared himself the Emperor and had enough backing. It wouldn't be the first time that happened. As for anyone arguing with that; well, there will always be people who are unsatisfied. But the majority of the people gathered in the streets right now are on our side," General Lao said. "I will talk to Fong and the others. In the meantime, as I said we have time to wait. We are not the ones in the street, tiring ourselves out."

**xxxxxxx**

By the afternoon, the fighting had ceased as the rebels and the soldiers became exhausted, just as General Lao had predicted. News was spread through the city that Fong, one of the former Emperor's closest aides and a man of noble birth, had been declared the new Emperor. It was not specified by who. Fong made his son the Crown Prince and immediately began to select his own aides and council members.

Shang and Mulan were brought before Fong early in the evening.

"Captain Li, I don't know if you realize it, but the previous Emperor had your family's lands and properties seized. I hereby restore all of it to you."

"Thank you, your Majesty."

"There will be a ceremony tomorrow tonight. I would like you both to be there. I wish to bestow certain honors on both of you in public."

"Yes, your Majesty," they both answered.

The Emperor turned to Mulan.

"Fa Mulan. You broke a lot of rules and traditions with your actions."

Mulan bowed her head, waiting for him to continue.

"But you also saved all of us and proved yourself to be a brave, brilliant and honorable warrior. General Lao told me that you were the one who came up with this strategy that we implemented last night and today. I would like you to be a member of my council."

Mulan looked up, shocked. "Thank you, your Majesty. That is a great honor. But, with all due respect…I've been away from home and from my family for so long. I never thought I'd ever be able to return to them. I would like to see them again, your Majesty."

The Emperor nodded. "I understand. You may go home after the ceremony. But I will call on your services in the future."

Mulan bowed again.

"Yes, your Majesty. It will be an honor to serve you."

**xxxxxxx**

The next evening a large throng of people was gathered in the Imperial Square once again as Fong was formally presented as the new Emperor. He stood on the platform, dressed in the customary yellow robe. General Lao stood beside Fong naturally, being his ally and most highly trusted general. Pei, Guang-Zhi and the other leaders of the movement that had been instrumental in putting Fong on the throne had been named as his council members. They stood behind him. Shang stood off to the side on the platform, in full uniform and armor. Mulan stood beside him, looking lovely in a silk dress of blue, red, black and white.

Emperor Fong made a short speech to the crowd. Then, before everyone present, he officially withdrew the charges of treason and lifted the death sentences of Fa Mulan and Captain Li Shang. He publicly restored the Li family lands and properties to Shang. And he declared them both heroes in the war against the Huns, Shang for his bravery and leadership, Mulan for her bravery and brilliant strategies.

The crowd, which was comprised largely of the rebel forces from the villages that had helped place Fong on the throne, cheered with wild enthusiasm.

He beckoned Shang to come and stand before him and presented him with a medal of honor and the new rank of First Captain.

Shang bowed and thanked him. Then he watched proudly as the new Emperor beckoned Mulan to come and stand before him and finally paid her the homage that she had been due from everyone all along.

"Fa Mulan. This is something that should have been done the night you defeated Shan-Yu and saved us all."

He took off the pendant with the crest of the Emperors, which had just the night before been removed from the neck of the previous Emperor, and placed it around her neck.

"This is now yours. As is this." He turned to one of his aides that was standing beside him and took the sword from the man's hands. It was the sword that had been Shan-Yu's. He held it out to her and said, "These are gifts from me to you, in honor of you and in honor of your family."

Mulan took the sword of Shan-Yu in both hands and looked it over, beaming. Then she bowed to the Emperor.

"Thank you, your Majesty."

"I know how much you want to return home to your family, Fa Mulan. But my offer to you to become a member of my council still stands. And I _will_ summon you in the future if I am in need of your service."

"Yes, your Majesty. Thank you."

Pei and her other friends approached her then and she bid them goodbye, thanking them for all the help they had given her during her time of trouble. Then she turned to Shang and approached him, smiling.

He leaned toward her, wanting to say so much to her, yet at a loss for words. He was now in the service of Emperor Fong, and he would be remaining in the Imperial City. If she had accepted the position on the council, she would have been living in the city also and he would have been able to continue to see her. But she had declined and was going home; the chances of them seeing each other again were slim, at least until Emperor Fong decided that he was in need of her aid. There was an ache in his heart as he realized that this was a final parting. But he couldn't bring himself to say goodbye to her. He was accustomed to her presence in his life now and he knew he would never meet anyone like her again.

"Mulan…"

He trailed off, at a loss for words. From her expression, he could tell that she didn't want to say goodbye either.

"You are the Emperor's First Captain now, Shang. And I have to return home."

"Will I…?" he trailed off, afraid to ask the question and of what the answer would be. "I mean…if it is alright with you…maybe when I am able to…I could visit…"

She nodded and smiled warmly. "I'd like that. It will be good to see you again."

She hesitated for a moment shyly, then took a step forward, taking his hands in hers. He sighed as he felt her fingers close around his hands.

"As soon as I can, I will," he said softly.

She nodded and withdrew her hands from his, turning and heading for her steed.

He watched her as she mounted the large horse and leaned forward to say something in his ear. Then Khan galloped off, carrying his little mistress down the steps and away from the platform again, this time into a crowd of people that was cheering enthusiastically for her instead of trying to seize her. Shang stared after her longingly, wishing that he had the luxury, and the nerve, to follow her again.

"She is quite an extraordinary young woman."

Shang turned to Emperor Fong, who had come to stand beside him.

"Yes, sir. She is," he answered softly.

"If it were me in your place, I'd be hard-pressed to let her go so easily and never see her again."

"Sir?" Shang looked at him, astonished.

He nodded. "There are a few things that we need to take care of tonight. As soon as you are finished, you may have a short leave from your duties to take care of personal matters, Captain. You've earned it. I will summon you back here in a week or so."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan rode through the night, pushing Khan to gallop. For a long time now it had seemed that the moment would never come when she could return home and she was anxious to get there. She only hoped that an apology and these gifts of honor from the new Emperor would appease her father and earn his forgiveness of her.

She arrived home and put Khan in the stable, feeding him and watering him quickly. She thanked Mushu for everything and he bid her goodbye. Then he turned and went back to the temple with Cri-Kee, most likely to explain himself to the Fa ancestors. And she went into the garden to find her father and explain herself to him.

Fa Zhou was sitting on the bench under the magnolia tree in the garden, where they had always sat and talked. He was holding a blossom in his hand and staring at it sadly. He looked weary and grieved. She approached slowly, holding the sword of Shan-Yu, which was now wrapped in protective cloth.

He looked up at the sound of her approach and his face dropped.

"Mulan!"

He stood up. She rushed to kneel before him and he sat back down on the bench. She bowed all the way down to the ground, then raised her head to speak to him.

"Father. I have brought you the sword of Shan-Yu."

She placed it in his lap, then took off the crest of the Emperor that was around her neck and placed it on top of the sword.

"And the crest of the Emperor. They're gifts. To honor the Fa family."

Her father looked at the gifts, stunned. She bowed her head again.

"I'm sorry that I have been a disappointment to you," she said, tears forming in her eyes.

She looked up startled as she saw the gifts of the Emperor being tossed to the ground. Her father knelt down in front of her, throwing his arms around her.

"You are not a disappointment to me, Daughter. And you never will be." He released her for a moment and leaned back to look at her, wiping away a tear that had rolled down her cheek. Then he embraced her again. "I've missed you so."

"I missed you, too, Baba."

They stood up and Mulan turned to see her mother and grandmother stepping into the garden. She hurried over to them and there was a tearful reunion.

"I prayed to the ancestors to watch over you," her grandmother said softly as they hugged. "And they did."

Mulan smiled at her grandmother, tears still in her eyes, and nodded. "They sent a guardian to watch over me. I have to go to the shrine to thank him before we go inside."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang arrived at the Fa home and passed through the gate, leading his stallion. A mature gentleman was coming toward him from the garden, having seen him. He was walking with a cane and Shang guessed that it was Mulan's father.

"Honorable Fa Zhou," Shang began as the man approached. "I am Captain Li Shang. I was Fa Mulan's commanding officer. I would like to see her and talk to her, if it is alright with you, sir."

He nodded and beckoned for Shang to follow him to the stable with his stallion. "It is an honor to meet you, Captain Li. I know your father very well."

"Yes, sir. I remember that he spoke of you. He was killed in the battle against the Huns."

Fa Zhou was silent for a moment and he looked deeply grieved. Then he placed a comforting hand on Shang's shoulder and said, "I am very sorry. He died honorably, in service to the Emperor."

He led Shang into the garden. Mulan had just come out of the family shrine and she was coming down the hill toward them, looking lovely in the same dress that she had been wearing in the Imperial City. She had probably just arrived home. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him, a shocked expression on her face.

"You have a visitor, Mulan," said her father.

She smiled and approached him, and Fa Zhou went up to the family shrine, leaving them to talk alone.

"Mulan…" Shang trailed off, not knowing where to begin.

"What a nice surprise. I knew you would visit, but I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

"The Emperor gave me leave for a short time…I wanted to see you. And to talk to you more. We've been through so much together."

"I know. I'm glad you came, Shang."

They began to stroll through the garden together.

"I'm glad everything worked out for you, Mulan. That's what you deserved."

"You too, Shang. You were in just as much trouble as I was. I'm glad things were resolved for you."

She seemed sad all of a sudden.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head, and her expression was troubled. "I can't help but feel a little disturbed with the politics of it all. Those men who helped me are the Emperor's council now; maybe their reasons for backing him were selfish. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. They were truly good people and they helped me when I was really in dire straits. But they still behaved...with intrigue and deception from a certain point of view. And so did I by my involvement with it. Was that any better?"

He sighed and nodded in understanding.

"I don't know. I mean, you're right. There's always fighting and intrigue in politics and there always will be. Even when it's an attempt to improve a situation. I'm a military man, not a politician. Being First Captain to the Emperor will be a very new experience, and I suppose I will have to learn to be…or at least to maneuver my way through the politics. I hope that will not force me to become deceptive. I was taught a different way, after all. But...maybe Fong will prove to be a wiser, more honest ruler."

He stopped and she halted her gait with him, looking at him questioningly.

He took a step closer to her. "Mulan, I…I didn't really say…back at the palace I mean…" He stopped himself, realizing he was babbling, and switched to a subject that felt safer. "How is your wound healing?"

He felt himself turning red and wanted to slap himself as he immediately realized that it was a stupid question. She hadn't been away from him for very long for there to be any big difference in her wound since he'd seen her. But his question didn't seem to bother her.

"It will be fine." She looked down toward where the wound was, frowning, and added, "I will have an ugly scar, though."

She looked up at him again and as she turned her face up to him he had an overwhelming urge to bend down and place his lips on hers and embrace her. He had never been great with words and maybe if he showed her…he felt himself leaning toward her, then stopped himself with a start. Her father was suddenly with them again, clearing his throat. Mulan turned to her father and grinned. Fa Zhou gave her a look and rolled his eyes toward Shang, communicating something to her wordlessly, which she apparently understood. She turned back to him, smiling still.

"Would you like to stay for dinner, Shang?"

Shang nodded, smiling broadly. "Thank you. That would be great."

**xxxxxxx**

A/N: Epilogue follows.


	19. Epilogue

**Chapter 19: Epilogue**

After dinner her father and Shang went off into another room to talk, at Fa Zhou's request. As Mulan helped her mother and grandmother clean up, Fa Li commented about what a nice young man the captain was. Grandma just elbowed her and winked. Mulan rolled her eyes and excused herself, telling them that she wanted to go back to the shrine to pray to the ancestors.

She walked up the hill to the family temple. As she approached the shrine she saw Mushu perched on the top step leading into the structure. She grinned, happy to see her little red dragon friend.

"Hi, Mushu."

"Hey, baby. See? Didn't I tell you things would work out?"

"Yes, you did," Mulan laughed warmly.

"Your family is glad to have you back and the captain came after you to see you."

"Thanks for everything, Mushu. So, how about you? Did you get into trouble with the ancestors over the Great Stone Dragon incident?"

"Nope. They commended me on a job well done and promoted me back to being a guardian."

"Congratulations. So I guess I'll be seeing you again when Emperor Fong calls me back into service."

"Of course. And I'll be around to make sure that Shang takes good care of you after he marries you."

She looked at him in shock and he grinned mischievously.

"See you soon, Mulan."

She laughed and watched him dart back into the temple.

"Bye, Mushu."

**xxxxxxx**

A/N: Finally completed. Thanks again to all for reading.


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